Sips Co Fairytale
by cosartmic
Summary: A YOGSCAST fic. Remember Sips Co. Fairytale? Well, this is it, literally! Rated T because Yogscast. :P
1. Prologue

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Prologue **

**By: MusicPnFFreak/OWPB**

_And they lived happily ever after, eh?_

_ What a bunch of bullshit._

"Sjin? What the hell are you reading? Some stupid kiddie stories?" I confronted the bearded bastard as he returned from working on that girly farm of his. In my hand was the book I had found earlier that day when I was rummaging through chests. Confused, Sjin cocked his head to one side.

"What?"

I rolled my eyes, waving the wore out book in front of his farmer-tanned face. Still, he wore the same expression, which made me lose all hope that I could tease him.

"You- you mean you haven't seen this book before?" Staring intently at the book for a moment, he shook his head.

"Nooo… sorry. Have you?"

"If I did then why would I be asking you?"

"I don't know!"

"Shit- Sjin. Somebody better not be messing with us again!" After previous cases with our windows being smashed and a random sign being put out in front of _my _pool, I had had just enough of this guy! Who the hell did he think he was, anyways? Some idiot, that's what.

"What's in the book, anyways?" Sjin asked, taking the book from my hands.

"A bunch of dumb kiddie stories." I muttered. At least, that's what I thought. All I did when I found it was flip through and find that stupid saying over and over again. 'And they all lived happily ever after.' I watched as Sjin scratched his beard and leafed through the torn pages. He started to giggle. A girly little man-giggle that always seemed to be uncontrolled by him.

"What?" I asked, slightly annoyed. He beamed up at me.

"Aw, I remember these! Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, wow! Where'd you find this, Sips?"

I took him to the storage room and showed him the exact same chest where I had stumbled upon it.

"And you're _not_ messing with me, Sjin?"

"No! I swear- I swear I'm not."

Finally, I gave up with asking Sjin. Besides, where would he have found the book, anyways? But… if he didn't find it and put it in the chest, and I didn't either, then who did?

Finally, night came, and the moon kicked the sun off the stage. It had been a long day. I mean, hey, replacing pipes that had turned into sand with actual pipes that took FOREVER to make was hard work. Since that main house had been destroyed ages ago, we had been staying in the next best thing – the official Sips Co. tower. I mean, there were a few machines here and there, but at least it was somewhere we could sleep. But, of bloody course, Sjin had our beds as close together as he could get them. He makes lame excuses like 'I get cold at night' or some other stupid thing. Still, I let him. Why? No fricken idea. We mumbled our goodnights and soon after that the guy was snoring like some monster! Jeez, just how much had I worked him today? While he was passed out and sleeping like a babby, there I was tossing and turning. It wasn't Sjin's snoring that kept me awake, in fact, it was the dumb BOOK. I couldn't seem to get it off my mind. I was constantly wondering what was in that book. I couldn't believe that Sjin remembered what was in that book as well. More importantly, why was he reading those in the first place?! I turned my head to the block of wood I called a nightstand. There it was in all its enchanted glory. Little shit, basically beckoning me to read it, to take only a glimpse. I looked back to Sjin, who was dead out. Man, if he caught me reading some of it, he would never let me live it down. Deciding he won't be woken anytime soon, I grabbed the book before I could hesitate, flipping through the rough pages until I found that first page and the first story.

**(A/N: HEY YOU BETTER READ THIS. THIS IS IMPORTANT!**

**Thank you! So, this is the start of a new series as you can all see. Plot Twist? You guys get to decide which story you want me to write first! The only three right now I have in my head to work with is **

**Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Sjinderella**

**Rapunzeldew**

**So, leave a comment/review and vote on which one you want to be written first! And, please, if you have any other fairytale ideas don't hesitate to tell me! I'll give you credit for the idea.**

**MPNFF out! Peace, mutha truckas!)**


	2. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves - Part 1

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter One – Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Part 1 – **

**By: MPNFF/OWPB**

Someplace outside Stoneholm, in a nearby kingdom, there lived a Queen, a King, and their son. The Queen, to her people, was the sweetest and kindest Queen they could ask for. Their King, the bold and brave one he was, took charge and was willing to help out anybody in town. The son's parents were his idols. He wanted to make them proud so much. But then, on one bright and glorious day- the Queen died. The King was devastated, and shut everyone out for days. The son tried his best to let go, as well as try to help his father, but it was no use. The son never moved on, but somehow, his father did. Knowing the town was in need for another Queen, he quickly married a new one. This one was from all across the land, and whichever land it was, it was a rude one! This Queen was rude, and evil blood ran through her veins. She saw the King's son as not family, but a servant who would do chores all around. But, thankfully, this story isn't about her. This story is about Xephos, the King's son.

**X**

Sweat ran down Xephos' face as the hot sun aimed down on him. _Why, oh why did she have to order me to clean the outside pathway? _He thought as he scrubbed furiously at some gum that had been stuck there since last month. His step-mother enjoyed throwing parties now that the King was dead and she threw them whenever she found the stupidest excuse. Somebody must have been chewing gum and spat it out. Other people stepped on it and, lucky for them, they didn't have it stuck on their shoes for the rest of the night. Now, Xephos was here, being forced to scrub it in the blazing sun. He only wished the sun would piss off and help him get the gum off. Gum could melt, right? Oh, but that would be too good for Xephos, so no! He let out a long sigh and looked ahead to the direction of Stoneholm. Did they have a nice King? He knew his step-mother and the King of Stoneholm were planning to marry, but no just yet. Well, it didn't matter anyways. Nobody would replace his parents. Everybody knew that. Xephos knew the most out of all of them.

A bird fluttered by, interrupting his view, reminding him of his work. There was no time to daydream when there were paths to clean and gum to curse at! The bird perched on the stone well, its blue feathers rustling together in the soft wind. Thankful for the cool blast, Xephos smiled, finally getting that damned piece of gum. He sat up, wiping his forearm across his forehead, and then looked at the bird, giving it a slight nod as if to say 'Morning!' or 'Nice weather we're having, huh?' Not being able to escape the castle much, Xephos didn't have many friends. Not any, in fact. Sometimes, though, when animals- birds, mostly- came by, he'd talk to them, knowing they'd listen. They made good friends, he thought. He moved along down the stone path and more birds flocked near. They began to chirp happily, almost as if singing.

Xephos smiled, hearing the melody they began to sing. Personally, he loved singing. He had gotten a lot of practice over the years while doing chores around the house. Not in front of any human being he would sing, oh God no. He was quite shy when it came to stuff like that. But, considering there were no people around him, he started to sing along. There weren't really lyrics, but he just went with whatever came from his heart.

**X**

From the throne room in the castle, a rather old woman looked down on him in disgust. Enjoying himself while working was not what she meant to happen. Not wanting to look or listen any longer, she closed the blinds violently, and then took a step back. It was time to take drastic measures, she decided. She sunk into the comfort of her throne, and ordered the guard to find the town's best hunter. She didn't care if he specialized in killing cows or pigs or even cactuses for that matter! All she wanted was for Xephos to be gone! Why? It all came down to this: no matter what she did, Xephos was still the fairest of them all in the land _she owned._ And, why was Xephos the _fairest?_ Wouldn't it be handsomest? Perhaps her mirror was being very idiotic the day she had talked to it, she wasn't sure. But, before getting to meet the hunter, she would have to send Xephos on a little trip.

**X**

Once the stone pathway was finally cleansed until pristine, Xephos worked on the well, making sure to scrub in every nook and cranny. He still sung, but not as lively as before. As his cloth became dry for the millionth time, Xephos realized his bucket of water was empty. He hummed as he tied his bucket to the thick rope that hung on the hook of the well. Four birds, which were on the other side of the well, watched as the bucket descended down, down, until they couldn't see it anymore. Xephos had watched it as well, afraid it would fall off. But, he never leaned too far; he was afraid somebody would push him in. Once he was sure the bucket was underwater, he pulled it up once again, the water dripping from the overfilled bucket. Some water drops splashed around the bird's feet, making Xephos apologize quickly. He seized the bucket, hurriedly untying the knot he had made, then setting it down on the floor. His eyes fell back to the depths of the well. A thought from his past came to his head, and he smiled at the memory. His mother had told him it when he was young. He looked up to the birds.

"Want to know a secret?" He asked them. Of course, they all bobbed their head and tweeted excitedly. "Promise not to tell?" Again, they nodded.

"Well, you won't believe it but…," Xephos smirked. _"We are standing by a wishing well~"_ he sung. The bird's reactions made him laugh. Birds were stupid sometimes, he thought.

_"Make a wish into the well_

_That's all you have to do,_

_And if you hear it echoing,_

_Your wish will soon come true~"_

Xephos stared down into the well again, thinking maybe, just _maybe-_ it would work. So, leaning a bit forward-but not too much, he sang:

_"I'm wishing-"_ Before he could continue, his voice sprang back at him, repeating his words. So it did work. But maybe that just meant it was getting empty and needed refilling. Still, he might as well go along with it. Now… what should he wish for? That was hard. He had so many ideas-

"Xephos!" Xephos almost banged his head against the roof of the well as he heard the calling of his name from that wicked woman. Couldn't she see he was in the middle of something? Well, that didn't matter. Her calling his name like the way she did meant she was in need of his _assistance._ The birds had already flown away, and Xephos thought the well echo had scared them off. Leaving the bucket behind, Xephos started trudging back up the stone pathway towards the throne room.

**X**

Once Xephos arrived, he walked up to the Queen's throne, kneeling down and greeting her. "Your majesty."

The Queen made it a rule that he was not family to her, so that was why he was to call her that. It was like he was just another servant. He rose soon after, not wanting to meet her stone grey eyes. The Queen never made effort to meet his either. Instead of all this awkward silence, she cleared her throat.

"Did you finish washing the pathway?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"Good. Now, I want you to go out behind the town, up in the hills, and pick some wildflowers."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Now run along."

He obeyed.

**X**

Not long after Xephos had gone away, the town's best hunter had arrived. She was a fairy-like woman wearing a forest green tunic and skirt. As she walked, her brown boots clicked the floor and her long blonde hair bounced in its loose ponytail. Like most villagers, she damn well knew the Queen was no good, and that Xephos' parents should have never died. She never ever saw the Prince, but she had a feeling he hated the Queen and the Queen wasn't that happy about him either. Like the rest, she was forced to kneel before the Queen, and tend to her needs.

"Your majesty."

"So, I'm assuming you're the town's best hunter. Hmm. State your name."

"Lomadia, your majesty."

"Do you know why I've brought you here today?"  
"No, your majesty."

"A very important task I have for you, that's why." Lomadia stood, as did the Queen. Then she continued.

"I've sent Xephos far out into the forest, a very secluded area, don't you think? There, he will pick wildflowers. And there, my faithful hunter, you will _kill her."_

Lomadia didn't even think before she answered. "But- your majesty! He's the Prince!"

"SILENCE!" She shrieked, making the hunter jump. Lomadia stared at the floor. "You know the penalty if you fail." She hissed.

Without a choice, with her life at stake, she muttered, "Yes, your majesty."

"But- to make doubly sure- you will bring back her heart in this box." Lomadia was forced to look back up and see the wooden box. Nothing special on it, of course. That's probably what she thought of Xephos. Nothing special.

She took it regretfully.


	3. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves - Part 2

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter two – Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Part 2**

**By: MPNFF/OWPB**

Xephos slouched as he walked through the large field just outside of the village. It was beautiful, but whenever he was sent out in an open space like there… he always felt very unsafe. The Queen had always assured him it was secluded and nothing dangerous would happen, but then again, when had Xephos ever trusted her? He stepped in other people's sunken tracks absent-mindedly, dragging his eyes over the scenery in an attempt to find decent flowers. Why did she even need flowers anyways? To make the place more attractive to bees? To make Xephos sneeze to death? Finally setting his eyes on a small cluster of red, yellow, and purple flowers, Xephos was thankful to kneel and pick them from the ground. He was careful to grab at the stem and pull them with ease. He was about to pluck the last few when something chirped behind him. Hesitantly, Xephos turned.

A chubby, young bluebird with wide eyes stared directly at the prince, blinking very quickly almost a mile a minute. It looked to be an energetic little fellow, but something in its eyes told Xephos something was wrong. Xephos stared back, and then gave the bird a small smirk. He looked around the area, seeing no signs of other birds anywhere. No signs of fallen nests, either.

"Awww." Xephos looked back to the bird, cocking his head to one side, staring in awe at the cute bird. The bird chirped again, sounding slightly sadder. Xephos could only guess one thing.

"Are you lost?" Xephos whispered. When Xephos first began talking to animals, he thought he had been going nuts. But now it wasn't so foreign to him. The bird nodded, hopping closer to him. Xephos put out his free hand, the one that wasn't holding the mound of flowers, and the bird climbed aboard. Xephos brought the fluffy fellow to face him, and looked around once more; surely the bird's family would have heard it. So, Xephos stood, dropping the flowers from his other hand, and turned to face the path he had come from. In ways, he felt bad for the bird, not being able to find his family. He knew what that was like, and quickly the prince shook his head, trying to force away the memories. But before anything, an arrow whizzed passed Xephos' head, making him squeal and jump. Suddenly he found both his hands empty, and the bird was on the ground, an arrow directly through its small lifeless body.

Xephos covered his mouth, backing away. What the hell had just happened?! He knew this place was never safe! Feeling helpless, Xephos looked around, trying to figure out where the arrow had come from. All around him were trees, and Xephos froze when he heard the sound of bushes rustling. His heart rate began to rise rapidly, and he backed away from the source of the sound. In through the bushes, a woman had come out, wearing green hunter clothes. In her hand was a bow, and she had a bag dedicated to her arrows. Her giant hood was up, and the woman refused to look up to see the prince. Seeing him through strands of her blonde hair, she slowly walked forward, sending Xephos to also step back. This went on until Xephos could step back no more. He had hit a rock, and was now leaning back on it, panicked to the point where he could hyperventilate. She had him cornered now, and from her pocket she had pulled out a pocket knife.

**X**

In one swift movement, I had plunged the knife into the princes' heart. I ripped out the heart, put it in that bloody box, and brought it to the Queen.

If it were only that easy. But it wasn't. This was the Prince, for Christ's sake! The last hope for our land, I was sure of it! I had my arm raised, knife at an angle where I could stab him easily. I raised my head, and- I looked into his blue eyes, those scared for life, blue eyes- I dropped the knife. My hand was shaking as I brought it back to my side and dropped to my knees. I breathed heavily, blinking back tears. I looked down to the ground, guilt steaming off me. I clutched the grass with the hand the knife was in.

"I can't-" My voice came out all shaky and sputter-y. Sweat ran down my forehead and threatened to travel into my eyes. I peered through my hair, and saw that the Prince hadn't moved an inch. I couldn't blame him poor guy. I wouldn't know what the hell to do either if I had some flipping maniac coming at me with a knife. Finally, he cleared his throat softly.

"I don't… understand?" I was thankful I wasn't the only one who was a mess- his voice wasn't any less shaky then mine. I sniffed, perched one knee up, so I was kneeling before my Prince. I realized soon after that the Queen had made a rule to not acknowledge him whenever he had left the castle, but at the time I really didn't care.

I forced myself to come back. I, too, cleared my throat. "The Queen. She ordered me. Your highness, I would never-"

"The Queen? She…" The Prince sighed, shaking his head. It made me think he knew something was up with her.

"Look, I don't want to do this-"

"You're very kind."

"-Thank you, but- you have to get out of here. The Queen can't see you alive. We'll both be dead if that happens."

The Prince gulped, and his eyes widened. He kept calm, offering me a hand to stand. I took it thankfully, grabbing my bow as I was lifted. He stood there for a minute, staring at me, our hands still together. His cheeks began to turn a shade of pink. Oh, no, not this. I removed my hand, making the Prince snap out of it. I pointed to the dark trail that was behind the rock.

"You should go in there- nobody would be stupid enough to go in there and look. Hell, the Queen wouldn't care if you were gone. No offence."

"Gee, thanks."

"What you doing?! _Go._"

The Prince nodded towards me, turned, and broke into a sprint. Before he disappeared, he yelled back: "Thank you!"

As I watched the Prince leave, I damn knew I was screwed. But the fact that I had saved somebody's life- the _Princes'_ life- made me feel a bit happier for what I was doing. As soon as I could no longer see the Prince, I turned to leave the field, trying to figure out a plan to save my ass.

**X**

Xephos wasn't in the greatest shape, people could say. He wasn't in any shape at all, actually. As he ran, he heard himself basically gasping for breath. So, he slowed to a walking speed, arms hugging his ribs. This part of the forest wasn't welcoming at all. With all the dead and fallen trees, it gave Xephos an eerie sort of feeling. He looked to the sky, noticing the sun didn't take a liking to the particular spot of the forest. All Xephos could see were grey splotches of clouds forming overhead. To him it looked like night was taking over. A nervous feeling took camp in the pit of his stomach. Anxiety took over his legs, making him walk faster without his brain even noticing.

Quickly, it began to grow cold, and the only noise the young Prince could hear was the distant sound of crickets chirping and frogs croaking. As his heart rate began to grow again, the sounds seemed to be getting closer to him. Xephos told himself that was stupid, and that he was just tired. This was true- Xephos was exhausted with the day he had had. His brain was playing mean jokes on him, showing him that the trees' branches were trying to reach out and grab him. It told him that hands would come out of the ground and grab at his feet. These thoughts only needed to be confirmed by what was going to happen next.

An owl flew inches away from Xephos face, making him scream and step back. The owl hooted, turning his head 360 degrees from where he had perched on a sturdy tree branch. Xephos stared back at it, and then screamed. From there on Xephos pushed his legs and his lungs to the limit- running as fast as his legs could carry him. He really saw what his brain had been telling him now- the trees swinging their branches at him, the crickets and frogs getting closer, the hands pulling themselves towards him to grab at his ankles.

They all had minds of their own as they cackled at Xephos, who covered his ears with his hands in an attempt to block them out. They all had eyes that stared him down, making the Prince feel very self conscious. His foot caught on something suddenly, sending him to the cold hard ground. At this point Xephos didn't even care, and he whimpered softly, bringing his arms to rest his head on. He curled up in the middle of the dark forest, bringing his legs close to his chest. He clamped his eyes shut, wishing the noises would all just go away. Never had he felt so childish. He felt as if he was a kid asking his parents to check the closet for monsters. Slowly, the noises seemed to die down for him. Around him, wind blew the innocent dead trees' branches from side to side. It rustled the oddly shaped bushes, and the sounds of frogs and crickets soon faded for the prince.


	4. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves - Part 3

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter Three - Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Part 3**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

In his little position, Xephos sobbed silently. Why did nothing go right in his life? Everything was all perfectly fine before _she _came along. And now she was out to kill him! How much more messed up could this be?

As the Prince sobbed, the same bluebird came along, perching itself on a nearby tree with the rest of it's family. Deer followed their pursuit, lying down next to the tree. Rabbits came out of their homes in the ground, looking at the person in confusion. Duplicates gathered, staring at the human in awe. The young bluebird flew down to the ground, so it was right in front of Xephos' face. He simply tweeted, resulting in Xephos flinching and crying out. Quickly, the animals scurried away, leaving Xephos feeling guilty.

"Wait," he sniffed, "don't go. Sorry about that. I'm fine now.. I think."

Slowly, the animals came back, and the bluebird comes back to him. He puts out his hand, and the bird climbs aboard. He stands, looking at all the animals.

"What are you guys doing here, huh? If you were wondering what was going on... It's nothing. I'm fine, everything is fine..." Xephos sighed, kicking lightly at the dirt. "Except it's not," he sighed. The animals all looked at him, as if they were listening attentively. Xephos looked down to the ground.

"My stepmother, the Queen. Well, she hates me... wants me gone, basically. That's why I'm here... I'm not going back. I don't think I can, anyways." The Prince huffed.

"Everything is just _bloody wrong!"_ He yelled to the sky, making all the animals jump.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized "But, seriously..." he sighed. He hated the mood he was in then, and only wished it would go away. But it was hard, because nothing ever really made him happy anymore. He wasn't sure what would make him happy, anyways...

"... What do you do when you're down?" Xephos muttered, making himself smirk at the thought of asking animals the question. Surprising the Prince, the little bird chirped, almost as if wanting to sing. Was that his answer? Singing?

"You sing?" Xephos asked. The little bird nodded, making Xephos shake his head, smiling slightly.

"Of course," he muttered. He lifted his hand up, letting the bird get back with it's family on the branch.

"Well, I suppose it's worth a try..." He took a breath in, and began singing. The birds would mimic him, reciting every note he put out. The littlest bird of the bunch sung it's heart out with him, until he carried him to the highest note, that is. When his little chirp cracked, it made Xephos laugh, and he began to sing words that came to his head.

_"With a smile and a song~_

_Life is just a bright sunny day~_

_Your cares fade away~ _

_And your heart is young~_

_With a smile and a song~_

_All the world seems to waken anew~_

_Rejoicing with you~_

_As the song is sung ~_

_There's no use in grumbling~_

_When the raindrops come tumbling~_

_Remember, you're the one~_

_Who can fill the world with sunshine~ _

_When you smile and you sing~_

_Everything is in tune and it's spring ~_

_And life flows along~_

_With a smile and a song~"_

As Xephos finished, birds around him cheered and other animals looked to be smiling at him. This made Xephos snort, and his cheeks became slightly hot.

"Ah... um, that was good, anyways. I'm better now, thanks guys. So, um... yeah, anyways. Is there anywhere safe I can stay? 'Cause, you know..."

The animals exchanged glances, and then the birds took hold on parts of his leather jacket, leading him farther down the trail. Thank gosh it was lighter down there and much less scarier! As they pass a pond, Xephos stopped to look at his appearance. His hair was mostly out of place, and his OCD with it activated. He began to fix it into a position he thought was decent, and then he began wiping off dirt from his face. The animals grew slightly impatient, but waited until he was done. Shortly after they continued walking.

The end of the trail soon ended, and Xephos softly gasped at the view before him. In the opening lay a small cottage, growing sporadic vines on the sides. The little cottage made the Prince think of comforting thoughts, as if he could easily make the place his own home. Without thinking it over, Xephos basically floated over to the little home, knocking on the door politely.

"Hello? Anybody um, home?" Xephos called, slightly nervous now. What if somebody massive lived there, and they were extremely mean? When nobody answered, the Prince sighed. An urge to open the door entered his mind. He knew it was rather rude to do... but, was anybody even living in the place? There was only one way to find out. Holding his breath, Xephos pushed open the door with little effort.

The house was a disaster, and the smell made Xephos want to retch. There were dirty dishes everywhere, and he could already tell the floor had not been swept in ages. The smell of it all was so fresh that it was obvious somebody was living in the house.

"Jesus Christ..." Xephos coughed, mentally wishing his allergies would just piss off. Taking after a forced habit, he found himself dusting off a chair with his fingers, running them against it's hard slick surface. A large amount of dust came off, and Xephos shook it off his hand in disgust. Other than the dirt and dust, Xephos had noticed around the table, there were seven chairs that seemed smaller than normal ones.

"Hmm..." Xephos mumbled, wondering who lived their. Whoever they were either expecting company or just found great deals on chairs. _Or, maybe there are seven people living in this house? Jeez, Xephos, get it together,_ his mind told him. Xephos shook his head. He just didn't seem to be on the ball then after that whole forest incident. What struck him out of his thoughts was the sound of the birds chirping. He took another look around, shaking his head.

"Okay- right. I have to." He gave in and stepped over the small piles of trash, going to a small closet and pulling out a broom. Noticing the animals still standing there, looking at him with their innocent eyes, Xephos smiled.

"What? You guys want to help?" To his surprise, they nodded. "Oh, well. Okay. Well, how about the smaller animals help with dishes and dusting and such... um, the bigger ones-no offence- can help with, uh..." He looked around, noticing laundry that he swore he could see flies floating around. "The laundry."

The animals looked at each other before bustling in, going to their stations. Xephos smiled. Maybe this wouldn't take ages after all. As he began sweeping the floor, he began to whistle. Soon whistling turned into a song.

"_Just whistle while you work~_

_And cheerfully together we can tidy up the place~_

_So hum a merry tune~_

_It won't take long when theres a song to help you set the pace~"_

Making it fun for himself as well, he twirled around with the broom, laughing slightly.

"_And as you sweep the room~_

_Imagine that the broom is someone that you love~_

_And soon you'll find you're dancing to the tune~"_

All around Xephos, chipmunks and squirrels busied themselves with the dishes, working together to get them clean. Noticing they weren't exactly using the tub provided, Xephos stopped them.

"What you doing! Use the tub!"

The animals stared at him, looked back to each other, and then scrambled on over to the tub, starting on the dishes in there.

"_When hearts are high_

_the time will fly_

_so whistle while you work~"_

Over where more tidying and sweeping was going on, two squirrels began sweeping dust under a rug.

"Not under the rug! Oh my God!" Xephos laughed. The two squirrels began taking the dust from the rug to a crack in the wall. The Prince shook his head and only went back to humming along the tune he had created.

After the sweeping up was finished, he moved onto dusting an old organ in the corner, humming as he did. Afterwards, the rag he was using for doing the dirty work began dusty itself, so he shook it out outside.

As he hummed, squirrels and chipmunks began clearing out the cobwebs and spiderwebs. Birds flew through the window gracefully and gingerly, holding flowers and placing them in a newly washed vase. By this time half the animals were done and helping Xephos with the leftover laundry. He placed other laundry on a buck's antlers, watching it hobble off with the large amount of clothing. Outside, racoons were washing away on washing boards by the pond, scrubbing to the melody Xephos had played out. Birds rung out clothing best they could and tied them neatly to the drying line that was conveniently up.

_"So, whistle while you work~"_ Xephos finished, sweeping the outside steps of the cottage. The little bluebird arrived back on his hand and sung along with him. Xephos sighed happily. Now that the house was cleaned up... a part of him felt more at ease and safe.


	5. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves - Part 4

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter Four - Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Part 4**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

A certain ways away from the cottage, in a small, personal diamond mine, a dwarf in a minecart travelled happily down the tracks, watching the other dwarves work happily away. Every day they came down to their mine, and each day they found some good treasures, and some bad. Even if they didn't find anything good, that was mighty fine to the dwarves. They had a passion for mining, so much of a passion they made up songs as they worked.

"_We diggy diggy (hole)_

_diggy diggy (hole) _

_in our mine the whole day through~_

_To diggy diggy (hole) _

_diggy diggy (hole)_

_is what we like to do~"_

One of the dwarves who was in particular the happiest of the bunch (and the best-worst singer out of all of them) slipped in his own little part.

"_It ain't no trick to get rich quick~"_

One with a frown bumped in afterwards.

"_If you diggy diggy hole with a shovel or a pick~"_

A sweeter looking dwarf came in.

"_In a mine~"_ He waited for the cave to back him up with its satisfying echo. Soon enough, it did. Copying his friend, another dwarf did the same.

"_In a mine~!"_

Soon, all of them wanted to include the echo, so they looked to each other and sang:

"_Where a million diamonds-"_ they waited:

_Shiinnnneee!_

Back out on the minecart track, a rather-sleepy looking dwarf sang along with the others, only to be ticked off by a fly.

"_We diggy diggy (hole)_

_diggy diggy (hole) _

_from early morn till night~!"_

With a twig, he managed to swat it away, only to be hitting the deer they had hitched up to the cart. The deer became aggravated, hitting the cart with it's back legs and making all the decent treasures fly out.

"_We diggy diggy (hole)_

_diggy diggy (hole)_

_up everything in sight~"_

Meanwhile, in the mine, a conveyor belt carried jewels all the dwarves had managed to find. A more serious dwarf inspected each of them, lusting to hear the satisfying cling when he hit them with his pick to prove they were real. Duds he would throw behind him, not caring what or who he hit.

"_We dig up diamonds by the score~_

_A thousand rubies, sometimes more~!_

_But we don't know what we dig-em for~_

_We diggy diggy dig a-hole~"_

The odd-looking one of the bunch (of course, they all looked the same), swept up the duds as he danced along. After throwing them God-knows-where, he went up to the other dwarf who was inspecting a diamond at the time, tugging on his shirt. The other dwarf looked to him, noticing his 'sparkling eyes'. Quickly, he swatted his head, making the jewels fall from his head. Then, hearing the satisfying ding of the clock as the sound traveled throughout the cave, the dwarf smiled and called out to the others.

"_Heigh-ho!"_

In the depth of the mine, the dwarf's voice travelled loud and clear to the others, making them smile. The day was done! Together, packing up their things and preparing for retreat, they all called back.

"_Heigh-ho!"_

This chant continued until they were out of the dusty mine and into the setting sunlight of the evening. Single file, they all marched out, pickaxes hanging over their shoulders.

"_Heigh-ho, heigh-ho_

_it's home from work we go~!"_

The dwarves whistled happily as one by one they hauled and threw bags of good treasures into the cellar. From there, they all continued to walk out. The same chant carried on as all seven dwarves marched down their little trail to their cabin. They were all perfectly oblivious that there was somebody in their home sweet home...

**X**

After cleaning the house, Xephos began to feel exhausted. He was sure there had to be a place where he could rest, even for five minutes! Finding a candle, he lit it with a conveniently placed match. With the companionship of the small animals, he trudged up the stairs, wanting to explore that part of the small house. He was sure there would be a bed up there, anyways.

Sure enough, the bedroom was the only room up the stairs. But, the Prince now knew for sure that there was not one staying in the house. But... seven? The beds seemed small enough for children to sleep in them. Their blankets were all sporadically placed. Looking at the beds, Xephos began to feel groggy. With the little strength he could conjure up, he pushed three small beds together, making a just-big-enough bed for himself. He collapsed on it, not caring who had slept where and if the sheets were clean. All he longed for was sleep to wash over him, refreshing him.

**X**

"_... iegh-ho!"_

A deer's head jerked up from it's resting position on the window sill, slight panic in it's piercing black eyes. She looked to the source of the sound, seeing seven dwarves to her horror. As other animals noticed, they began to flee from the house, leaving the door open and forgetting all about Xephos, who they should have warned.

The seven dwarves arrived, finishing off their happy tune. The one who seemed to lead the trail, stopped suddenly, making the six other to bump into each other.

"Oi! What's the deal?" The grumpier one asked.

"The doors open..." The lead dwarf sniffed, making the others follow his pursuit, "and something's cooking!"

"Is it bacon?" The happier one asked, clapping his hands. The six others shushed him.

"If nobody left the door open... then, somebody _must _be in there! Christ- we might have been robbed!" The lead dwarf's eyes widened, and he brought his pick off his shoulder and to his side.

"What you doing...?" The drowsy one asked.

"Look- they might still be in there! I say we get in there, and attack 'em! Like, you know! 'C'mere ya bloody bastard!' Like that!"

The six others nodded. "Ahhhh."

"Good- let's go! Follow me!" And with that said, all seven dwarves marched into the cottage, attempting to show no fear. Nervously, they searched the house, then after a moment one of them stopped.

"Does this place look... clean?!"

"Hmm... now that somebody said that, I think so!"

"So... now, hang on, hang on... we had a robbery-possibly, anyways- … and they clean our house?!"

"Best robbery ever!"

"Oh... look at these flowers! Oh, sh- ah... _aahhh-_"

Luckily somebody was there to hold the dwarf's nose, saving him from sneezing.

"Shh! And don't smell the flowers for God's sake!"

"Guys! We haven't check upstairs yet!"

"Oh shit, oh yeah."

The dwarves met up by the staircase, shifting on each foot nervously. Eventually one of them would have to go up there. Now, just who to do the deed...

The lead dwarf glanced around to the other six, finding the rather absent-minded one a perfect fellow to do the job! Before he could realize he was looking at him, he grabbed him by the arm, making him stumble towards the stairs and almost trip over his feet. He looked to the lead dwarf with scared eyes.

"Aw, come on! It won't be so bad! We'll be right behind you!" He reassured the dwarf. The others looked to each other in horror, but nodded. With that, the dwarf shoved a candle in the other's hand and pushed him up the stairs. He looked back, breathing hard.

"Right behind you!" The others whispered reassuringly.

Gulping, the other nodded, then turned and crept up the small set of stairs. Not caring about the others any longer, he puffed out his chest and marched forward, opening the door. To his complete horror, there was a monster in the room! Big and scary, oh yes! If he could scream he would! He scrambled down the stairs quick as he could, panting and gasping.

"What is it? What did you see?" The six others said in panicked tones as they pressed the questions on the other.

The dwarf could only sputter, and the others mentally scolded themselves for being so stupid. This was of course one of the disadvantages of being cursed. Quickly figuring out a way to communicate, he starts sporadically waving his arms.

"Okay, okay- uh..." The leader dwarf laughs nervously. "Something scary... Jesus!"

"Um.. scary.. a monster?"

The dwarf nods frantically.

"Okay, so now we know there's definitely something up there. We have to go tell it to screw off. Are you with me?"

All nodded, except for the tired one, who yawned "no." The frowning one hit him, making him snap back into consciousness.

"Um-yes."

"Right." Together they crept up the stairs, cautious of where they stepped due to the creaky stairs. One wrong step could mess them up entirely. They got to the room fine, thankfully. Now was an even harder part...

They all took deep breaths before creeping in. They looked around, making sure the robber hadn't stole anything from their room. Everything looked perfectly normal, yes... the three beds pushed together with a man sleeping on it, yes... Wait, what? Hold on.

All seven dwarves surrounded the beds and stared in awe. The man had dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a blue and white striped shirt, a leather jacket to cover it, and dark jeans. In a way, his peaceful appearance as he slept was slightly comforting... plus, he was kind of cute in a way.

The dwarfs looked to each other, their faces each flushed. They continued to look at the man until he began to stir, making all seven dwarves panic. Quickly, they ducked from his view.


	6. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves - Part 5

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter Five - Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Part 5**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

It took awhile for the Prince's vision to clear up, and when it did he found himself wondering where the hell he was. Then, he remembered. The cottage. The hunter-woman. The animals. The woods. The Queen. His stepmother. How long had he been out, anyways? He hoped nobody knew he was here.

_If they knew I was here, I would have been thrown out for sure..._ Xephos thought, shaking his head slowly. He yawned, stretching out his arms and bumping his hand into something that was beside the bed. Xephos turned to look, not remembering something there before. Directly across him was some sort of viking helmet. It looked to be off the support of the bed, and this made Xephos suspicious. A floating helmet? Holding his breath, he grabbed at one of the horns, feeling the tip seep into his skin, causing a burning sensation. But at that time none of that mattered, because staring back at him was a pissed off ginger.

"Oi! Give my helmet back!" The man yelled, obviously offended. Gasping, Xephos was about to obey, when the man reached over and forcefully yanked the helm away, making the cut worse. Xephos cried out and backed up against the wall, holding his hand with his other close to his chest. Soon seven of the same person were staring him down. Xephos breathed hard, not sure to be scared or to just be downright confused. In front of him were _seven_ of the _same person_. Weirdest part? They definitely weren't tall for their appearance, and judging by their beards Xephos was sure they weren't orphans, either. They were midgets, maybe...

"What are ya lookin' at, you bloody bastard?!" A rather cranky small man pressed. Xephos gulped, not knowing what to say.

"I-I'm s-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it. Now, what are you doing in our house?"

"Easy now, Honeydew! Look at the poor fellow! He's scared shitless!" A nicer one said, looking at Xephos. "I'm sure he has a good explanation."

"Honeydew's right." The leader noted, walking up to the side of the bed and pushing a rather blushy man, who was still gawking at the Prince, aside.

Xephos was now completely confused. Were they all named Honeydew?! Was he dreaming? The leader gave him a small smile, making the grumpier one 'hmph.'

"State ya name."

"X-Xephos...?" All seven gasped, exchanging looks.

"The Prince?" They asked, flustered.

"I-um, yes."

The leader smiled. "Oh! We have royalty in our house! I mean, it could be the Queen, but... A Prince is still good! How ya doing, your majesty? May we ask why the hell are you in our house?"

Xephos' face was flushed. "Um, I needed a place to stay... the Queen is out to get me."

The seven shook their heads, saying things like: "That sounds like something she'd do." and "Well, isn't that bloody horrible!"

"She-she sent a hunter to kill me. The hunter let me go, and I ended up here." Xephos sighed, then looked to each of the seven with hopeful eyes. "Will you let me stay here? I swear I won't be any hassle. Did you see what I did to the house?"

The seven looked at each other, thinking it over. What the Prince had done for them _was _in fact very nice of him. Cleaning, cooking.

"What's cooking downstairs?" One of them asked.

"Oh, right, um- I was cooking up some pork. It's already ready now. Look- if you let me stay I'll cook and clean or whatever you want. Just please let me stay."

Something in the Prince's voice attracted the leader's eyes to the Prince's. They locked gazes, and the leader could easily see the hope in his eyes. He felt a bit bad for the guy, and it would be terribly rude to just kick him out. Plus, he swore there was something there to learn about him, he could see it in his eyes. He finally decided he would let him stay. Tearing his eyes away from the beautiful sky blue eyes of the Prince, the leader turned to the others.

"Guys, pork is the equivalent to bacon!" He said simply, making the other's eye's widen with interest.

"Oh my God- he's right! Let's go!" The happier one said, running out first, the other five in tow. The leader glanced back at the Prince only for a second, slightly worried he would get lost in his eyes again. Instead, he decided he would keep his gaze on the wood floor.

"C'mon buddy," he said. "You can stay."

"Really? Oh, thank God. Thanks so much."

"No problem." With that said, the small man ran downstairs, yelling: "Hey! You better have bloody saved some for me!"

Xephos walked down a couple moments behind him, going up to the small table in the corner where the serving plate was. Luckily, one piece of pork was left, and staring at it made Xephos' stomach grumble. He only then realized how starving he was, and quickly snatched up the pork, taking a satisfying bite out of it. Leaning on one of the wooden counters while he ate, Xephos watched the seven dwarves chat away about whatever and tear off massive parts of their pork. A smile crept up on Xephos' face.

_Living with seven random dwarves? This ought to be interesting..._

**X**

Meanwhile, at the palace, the Queen sat pleased in her uncomfortable throne. Although every few seconds she sat in her rightful place, she still had to shift around in attempt to make it comfortable. As she did this that day, her devious smile stretched her features. She was sure by that time of evening Xephos was as dead as a doornail, and even just the thought of it being official made her excited. One of the guards at the door cleared his throat, making the Queen break away from her thoughts.

"Your majesty," he started, "the Hunter is here to see you."

The Queen's smile expanded. "Well, what are you standing around for? Send her in!"

The guard opened the door, and in stepped a timid-looking Lomadia holding a small wooden box. It had been the same box the Queen had given to her, and inside held a heart.

The Queen waved her hand, gesturing her forward. "Well, come on in now! Don't be timid. What do you have?"

Lomadia stepped forward, and soon was walking awfully quickly towards the throne. She kneeled down, holding the box out to her. "Your majesty, I give to you-"

Quickly, the Queen snatched the box. "Thank you, good hunter. You shall be paid on your way out. Go along, then."

Quickly, the hunter stood and speed-walked out, guards who were escorting her out in tow. When everybody was out, the Queen turned to her mirror.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, am I now the fairest of them all?"

A ghostly face appeared in the mirror, staring into dead space. "No." It said bluntly.

The Queen was flustered. "Wha-what?!"

"The Prince still lives, a pig heart you hold in that box."

The Queens face flushed crimson with this horrid information.

"_Guards!"_ She screeched. Immediately, two idiotic looking guards ran in.

"What's wrong, your majesty?"

"Get me that hunter! Take her to the dungeon and lock her up!"

"Yes, your majesty." The two flustered guards ran out. As they left, the Queen turned back to the mirror, face still red with fury.

"_Where is he?!"_ She yelled, throwing the box to the floor. The box hit the wall and smashed to pieces, the heart falling out in a mess of blood and guts.

**X**

As she stepped out into the evening air, the hunter's heart beat frantically with slight panic. What if the Queen found out it was an innocent pigs heart? She walked fast away from the palace and hoped nobody would notice. She fiddled with her thumbs as she walked. Her heart almost jumped out of her as she heard the cry of some guard. She began sprinting into the forest off the trail, praying they wouldn't go looking for her there. She pushed her legs to the limit, wanting to stay alive and do things with her life. She would not stand to be put in that damned dungeon everybody knew about! More importantly, she hoped the Prince would be safe. He was the kingdoms last hope for goodness in the land.

That evening, the hunter was taken back to the palace and was never to be seen again.


	7. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves - Part 6

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter Six - Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Part 6**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

The Queen's shoes clicked against the cobblestone stairs as she rushed down to her cellar. Usually, she only went down to her cellar for studying up on Black Magic or when she needed to fix issues with others. This was one of those times. Xephos was still out there somewhere, and just the mere thought of him made her blood boil. Once she reached the solid floor that made up her cellar, she rushed past the eerie hallway that led to the dungeon on a lower floor, and stopped abruptly at her bookshelf. Her long slender index finger glided along the old, dusty books until it stopped on one titled _Alchemy: Volume I._ Her whole hand lunged for the massive book before she even finished reading the title, and she began flipping through it.

_Something to kill... something to make me fair-_ "Ah!" The Queen exclaimed, making a bony crow in the corner flinch and squawk angrily. The Queen ignored this and continued on to clear off a table that was already full of brewing potions and ingredients used for her practice. She slammed the book down, pointing a long nail at the spell.

"If a damn hunter can't do it, I'll do it myself." She said, growing insane every small second of this time. She began to mumble out the ingredients as she put it in. She began to giggle to herself.

"And I have the perfect plan." Opening a white ceramic jar, she took out a handful of white dust, putting it into her cauldron.

"Mummy dust, to make me old."

Next she reached for a black vase that was filled murky black water. It swirled around as she poured some of the contents in.

"Black of the night, to shroud my clothes."

She grabbed a small brown box, opening it towards the cauldron, where dark coloured orbs flew. The orbs sent out a loud cackle of an older woman.

"An old hag's cackle, to age my voice."

Grabbing another box and redoing the same routine, the orbs fell out, producing a loud scream. As soon as the orbs hit the other ingredients, the ghost of a horrified face created from mist appeared, but only for a second before it dissolved in the cool cellar air.

"A scream of fright, to whiten my hair."

She moved to open the window directly above her work station, and a blast of wind entered the whole room, blowing her dress so the fabric pressed against her flesh.

"A blast of wind, to fan my hate."

Soon after the wind, thunder rolled up and struck the cauldron. Just as planned.

"Then, thunder to mix well."

Shutting the window, the Queen grabbed a wine glass from the window sill, grabbing a ladle and filling it with the contents of the cauldron and transporting it from there to the glass.

"And now... the result." With that done, she slowly raised the glass to her mouth, letting it hit the back of her throat and travel downwards. Gasping suddenly, the Queen dropped the glass, resulting in a smash, the liquid spreading over the at her throat and hyperventilating, she thought, _I think it's working._ Wind transformed out of thin air and washed through her hair, turning it white. Her long dress turned into a shrouded black robe, and her voice was no longer her own.

It was an old hags.

This all confirmed the transformation had been successful, and the Queen's breathing became heavy with every hobbling step she took. Her long nails once again caressed the book as she flipped through to find what she was looking for.

"Sleeping Death..." She mumbled to herself, yellow teeth showing as she smiled wickedly. "In the form of an apple would be poison, yes... 'warning: true love's kiss would be needed to break the spell.' hah! Like X... whatever his name is, could handle that situation..."

And so, the Queen began gathering up the ingredients for the poisoned apple.

**X**

"Oh! Your shirt-I mean, you're hurt!" Xephos jolted as the concerned leader, who was usually in a flustered state with his words, tugged on his hand. Xephos observed it as the other small man did the same, only then realizing it's state. The helmet's horn had cut it pretty bad, and the blood had stained his pale flesh.

"Oh, yeah, um-"

"Did the helmet do this to you? I told Honeydew not to sharpen the horns! I knew something would be sup- I mean- up." The man glared at the one moping at the table with his arms crossed. The other 5 instantly yelled out in protest, then realized they weren't to blame. He grabbed at a sticking out cloth from his pocket and began wiping at the Prince's hand roughly. Xephos winced, and the man, seeing this, quickly apologized and became gentler. Xephos only then realized they had basically been holding hands for more than 30 seconds. Before a blush could form on his face, he decided to ask some important questions.

"Right- so are all your names Honeydew, or...?"

"Well, it's a long story, mate..." The leader chuckled.

"I'm sure as hell not going anywhere." Xephos said. The others nodded in slight agreement. There was no way Xephos could walk back to that damned castle without being shot down.

So, they all sat down in the cottage's living area, where two couches were placed. Xephos sat on one, along with the leader and the smaller one who was exceptionally blushie. The other five mashed onto another couch, eagerly awaiting the story.

"Well, long before you came along-"

"Actually, it was about a year ago... but, sorry, you carry on." The happier one interrupted.

After glaring at the other, the leader cleared his throat and continued. "Anyways, a year before you came along, we had an issue with the Queen. She was going to send miners down to our mine and gather all our hard-earned jewels and such. Of course, we didn't want this. We have enough treasure in there to feed a country!"

The other six glared at the leader. The blush-ier one beside Xephos blushed furiously and twiddled with his thumbs. "Oh, god... you just told the Prince that..." He muttered.

The leader laughed nervously, realizing his mistake. "Oh! Um, aha! Just-just joking there, um..."

Xephos nodded, giving the other a look to show that there was nothing to worry about. "Gotcha." He winked, making the other man on the other side blush once again.

"Gosh..." He giggled. The other men scowled at him, making him blush more.

The leader continued speaking. "Well, anyways, we went there to protest, right? And she and us had a big fight and she cursed us. The end."

Xephos blinked. That wasn't long at all. It was blunt the way he had told it, but not long. "How did she curse you?"

"You're lookin' at the bloody curse right now, mate!" The man gestured to himself, then the other six. Xephos' eyebrows came together.

"What? Wait, wait, so you're telling me that the Queen _cursed_ you and turned you into seven small men?!"

Immediately the seven begin to yell and protest. Xephos frowned, feeling guilty of the fact that he may or may have not insulted them... it was only a guess, though! They all looked the same with their ginger beards and there odd-enough black eyes...

"Oi! Oi! Shut up ya bloody bastards!" The leader yelled, making the other seven fall silent. The leader sighed, looking to Xephos.

"Yes, the Queen cursed us. She uses Black Magic. Did you not know?"

Slowly, Xephos shook his head. Though... there were odd points in his life with her that she would disappear in the dungeon. Could that have been where she was hiding her magic?

"Wow. And, we're not 'small men!' We're dwarves, well... Altogether, we're one dwarf... but then she cursed us and spread out our emotions, making us into seven. Believe me- er, us- we're taller than you think as one. We're like, shoulder height for you...? Maybe?"

"Mmm. Interesting. So, hold on, you're like..." Xephos pointed to the leader, not knowing what emotion he was meant to be.

"Oh, right, yeah him," he pointed to the silent one, who then pointed to himself and nodded, "and I aren't based on any emotions. I tend to mess up on my vocabulary more than I usually do... And he just can't talk. Or, he's never tried."

"Right. So you and him don't have any emotion... but you guys do..." Xephos turned to the other five, who each nodded. "Ah. So, let me guess, you're happy," he pointed to the one that was usually smile-y and positive. He nodded back, his smile reforming.

"And you're... basically bashful and blushy..." Xephos pointed to the one beside him, who only blushed and looked away, giggling softly. Xephos laughed.

"That verifies that. And you're... sleepy? I guess?" He pointed to the one that was leaning on another's shoulder, snoring loudly. The others laughed. A bit of the sleepy dwarf's beard tickled his pillow's nose, and he broke out in a massive sneeze, making the others all laugh.

"You're sneezy, I guess." He then moved onto the one in the corner of the couch, arms crossed.

"You're grumpy, definitely."

"Yeah? What's your point?" The dwarf spat.

Xephos blinked, then looked away. "O-kay. And that's all of you... Wow. I suppose it's hard to acknowledge one person..."

"Well, yeah,, it is!" The lead dwarf nodded.

"Hmm... I think I might be able to fix that." Xephos looked around, taking their original name and turning it into names that would fit them all. He pointed to the bashful dwarf, who blushed immediately.

"Bashfuldew." He said simply, making him blush more, and the others collapse into hysterics. One by one he pointed them out, giving them names like Happydew, Sneezydew, Sleepydew, Derpydew, Grumpydew, and Honeydew for the leader. They all laughed at their new names, saying it would be easier, and some even calling Sneezydew 'Snottydew'. Xephos laughed along. He could tell this relationship would be an amusing one.


	8. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves - Part 7

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter Seven - Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Part 7**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

Xephos' night consisted of alcohol, crazy topics, and chatting with multiples of the same person. The usual. And, frankly, that one night was one of the best nights he had since the Queen entered the family. They had all stayed up until 2 in the morning talking about everything and anything. Well, everybody had stayed up until Sleepydew, who had somehow sneaked over to Xephos' couch to snuggle up against his shoulder. But, Xephos didn't mind. At that time he was too sucked into the backstory of Honeydew. He had also figured out Grumpydew's weakness- beer. He turned into a big softy after the first few he had sucked back. He was, in fact, the highlight of the night. He told the story of Honeydew, telling Xephos all about his old home which was in fact Stoneholm, and when he was kicked out, and from then on to survival and when he found the perfect place for a new start. Xephos let the new information stick to his brain, fascinated entirely with the dwarf. What sights he must have seen in Stoneholm! Of course, he felt bad, considering the Queen was once the Queen there. Even Xephos that night had shared his story, but it was nothing compared to the dwarf's epic tale. He had shared the same emotions with the correct dwarves and maybe even shed a few tears. By the time the night had ended, Xephos felt closer to the dwarves, and was hopeful they felt the same.

The next morning, Xephos stirred and yawned silently. Moving to push back the covers and sit up, he was pushed back down against the pillow, making him gasp. A ginger-haired arm was around his chest, making him crane his neck to look at whose it was.

A dwarf, sleeping soundly, much quieter than Sleepydew. A light pink contrasted from his cheeks, and immediately Xephos knew who it was.

Bashfuldew, Blushydew, or whatever he wanted to be called, had his arm around Xephos. Xephos' cheeks were just as pink as his, and he searched his mind frantically to try and remember what had happened last night.

_Xephos yawned. It had been a tiring day, and as much as he had wanted to continue speaking with the dwarves, he felt like he could easily pass out right then and there. The others, noticing this, started a contagious line of yawns, sending people to give a pat on the shoulder to Xephos before heading upstairs to bed. Honeydew even had to take Sleepydew up the stairs with him because he was the only one passed out. Then, the only one who seemed to stay was Bashfuldew. Nervously, he stared at his lap and twiddled his thumbs._

_"Aren't you going to bed?" Xephos had asked._

_"Well, I am but... where are you going to sleep?"_

_This sent Xephos to thinking as he looked around, his glance continuously returning to the couch the two sat upon. He scratched his head, not wanting to meet the dwarf's eyes. That would just be too awkward._

_"Um, I suppose I could sleep... here?" He formed it as a question, not really sure. Bashfuldew shook his head._

_"I can't let you do that, buddy! You'll strain your poor neck!" In a second, Bashfuldew was stood up in front of Xephos with his hand out. Xephos looked at it for a moment, then up to the dwarf's eyes. His heart skipped a beat when he looked into the dark abyss of Bashfuldew's eyes, he swore. _

_It was like he was under the dwarf's trance. He barely remembered making the choice of taking the dwarf's hand so he could lead him upstairs; dodging the bottles that basically covered the floor. Could he have been under the influence of alcohol, or was it something else?_

_All seven of the dwarf's beds were small, but seeing the beds made Xephos want to crawl into the one closest to him, containing dwarf or not. But somehow he had made it on the other side of Bashfuldew's bed, stripping off his jacket and shoes. He had crawled into bed, the dwarf right next to him without his helm or shoes. Not thinking, Xephos put his arms around the dwarf's small body, to which he responded in moving closer to Xephos. _

_"G'night, Xeph." Bashfuldew muttered, instantly falling into a deep slumber seconds after, leaving the Prince to follow pursuit._

Despite the position he was now in, Xephos found himself smiling at the memory.

_Xeph. Huh... I like that nickname._ He quickly shook his head, wanting to get back on the task at hand. He needed to get up before the rest of them did, otherwise he'd be in a sticky predicament with the dwarves. Gingerly, he grabbed the dwarf's arm, putting it behind him. It slid down his back to the dwarf's side, sending a chill down Xephos' back. He sat up quickly, getting hit by both a head rush and a wave of nausea. He clutched his head and groaned softly, regretting those drinks he had the other night. He moved his feet around, thankfully finding his shoes. He slipped into them, as well as throwing on his leather jacket. Quickly and smoothly as possible, he snuck out of the room and down the creaky stairs that led to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, which was thankfully still clean, Xephos opened up the fridge, fishing around for something that could only be defined as breakfast. Finding some decent eggs and bacon, Xephos went to work.

**X**

After successfully filling seven dwarves- plus his- stomachs, Xephos was sat outside, leaning against the side of the house, watching as the seven dwarves prepared for their usual routine in the mine. They had suggested Xephos stay at the house, saying the royal miners had occasionally made trips to their mine to fight over it. Wanting to protest, but knowing they had a good point, Xephos only bit his lip and nodded. Everybody surely knew that he was still out there somewhere.

The sound of arguing caught his ears, making Xephos turn to see Bashfuldew and Honeydew a ways away from him. Bashfuldew looked extremely regretful and sad as well as blushy, while Honeydew... was also blushing? Not as much as him, but still... He was either red in the face out of anger or something else, because he was sure giving a pounding to Bashfuldew.

Guilt crossed over Xephos as he watched Bashfuldew look to the ground, kicking at a sticking out stone. Could this have to do with what had happened last night? Xephos could only make out every few words.

"You can't do that! … for a reason! To stay a... Queen! … just mess around with us!" Honeydew's loud whispering soon turned to mere shouting, causing his eyes to flash to Xephos, to make sure the lad wasn't listening. Seeing him bluntly staring at the two gave him the feeling he may have been talking just a tad too loud. Blushing as the two locked eyes, Honeydew turned back to Bashfuldew, poking him in the chest, making him back up.

"We'll talk about this later." He growled, walking off.

Now, it was Bashfuldew's turn to look to the Prince. Xephos blinked, feeling extremely guilty then. Bashfuldew gave him a sorrowful smile before following Honeydew's movements.

**X**

Grumpydew yawned as he stepped out into the sun, which stung his eyes. He shielded them with his forearm, cursing himself for not watching how much he had drunk last night. To his right, Xephos was on his knees, looking squarely at him. Doing the usual, Grumpydew frowned. The sunlight was hitting Xephos' face just right to outline his facial features. He would never admit to actually liking the Prince... would he? Xephos had secretly made all the dwarfs-as one- think long and hard about their sexuality. They had to admit, Xephos was strikingly handsome, and each one of them could see there was something about him, even from just a glance! Everytime Grumpydew thought about it, it made him sick in the stomach, which did not mix with his hangover sickness. He groaned in both frustration and slight pain.

Xephos sighed. "What? Do you need a hug or something? Or do you still not like me?"

Grumpydew shook his head, bringing back the nausea, to which he ignored. "No... I don't not like you anymore... and, yeah, I could use a hug. I feel like total shit." He complained, emphasizing the last two words. He was sure Xephos didn't care, anyways.

But Xephos did care, and a small laugh came out of him. "Aren't we all feeling like shit?" He held out his arms, not backing out now.

Grumpydew looked at him for a moment before embracing him tightly. He felt Xephos arms go around him, and decided that maybe Xephos wasn't so bad at all.

Soon, all the dwarves received hugs on their way out, making them feel much more better about the day. Nothing could go wrong... could it?

Last but not least, Bashfuldew. He walked out slowly, turning Xephos' smile into a slight frown. It was a few awkward moments of twiddling thumbs and staring at the ground before Xephos spoke.

"I'm sorry about last night..." He said silently.

"I-it wasn't your fault, mate... all my idea. I'm glad he didn't chew it out on you." Bashfuldew only sighed.

"Now, do you want a hug too, friend?" Once again, the Prince held out his arms, to which Bashfuldew threw himself into, burying his head into Xephos' shoulder, muttering a thanks.

As he pulled away, Bashfuldew became serious. "Now, if the Queen comes around here, don't fall for anything. Got it?"

Xephos smiled. "Wouldn't even think twice!"

His smile reflected onto Bashfuldew, and with that smile shared, Bashfuldew was off with the other six.

Standing and brushing off his clothes, Xephos looked around, wondering what there was to do now...


	9. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves - Part 8

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter Eight - Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Part Eight**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

Jaffa cakes tumbled out of their packages, gracefully falling into the wicker basket provided. The Queen cackled, and then placed the poisoned Jaffa on the top. She mumbled frantically about how she needed to hurry, how it needed to be done as soon as possible, before her temporary disguise vanished. This mumbling echoed off the stone walls as she hobbled down the stairs and to the bottom floor. When she passed the dungeon, she ignored the cries of the hunter, and moved on. The bottom floor contained 'the dock.' This was where, if needed to make immediate travels, she would climb aboard her canoe and row down the lake. She walked straight into the water, both her shrouded robe and the boat lapping against the soft rolling waves. She put the basket under the bow's seat, and then with much effort, got inside herself. After that, her old body soon felt weak, and she moved to the stern's seat to have a small rest. The cons of disguising yourself to be an older person was that you actually became that age temporarily. When she felt ready, her bony hands grabbed at the long row and she began to back out of the cellar's 'dock.'

**X**

After hours of travelling through the night, both walking and rowing, the tired old woman- excuse me, The Queen- hobbled her way to an opening, where the cottage was less than 20 feet away. She pulled away an array of bushes and vines to scan the area. Sure enough, Xephos was outside, sitting against the wooden cottage, absent-mindedly picking at the grass that outstretched across the land. Soon, dwarves entered her field of vision, and... Xephos was hugging them?! This made the Queen respond with a devious smirk.

_I always knew there was something off about you,_ she thought. It took a couple minutes (which was what seemed like hours to the Queen) for the dwarves to 'get the hell out of the way,' as the Queen put it in her mind. Xephos stood finally, looking around and just missing the Queen in the billows of forest. He sighed, walking into the tiny cottage, shutting the door behind him.

Now, the Queen was no idiot. She damn well knew that everybody in the stupid cottage was on the lookout for Xephos. If the Queen came, even in a disguise, Xephos would surely be suspicious, especially when she arrived directly after the dwarves left. She would have to wait awhile before committing the perfect murder.

**X**

Not a minute in the hour went by that Xephos hadn't been humming cheerfully. For once, he felt... happy. He carried the bowl he had been mixing things in across the kitchen to another counter, where a cake pan was waiting to be filled. The mixture was made up of the things he could find around the kitchen, and also the things that his mother had taught him to put in. He grabbed the spatula that waded deep in the mixture and began transporting the mix into the pan. As he did this, Xephos slowly stopped humming. An unsettling feeling hit him in the stomach, and he began to grow slightly paranoid, the sounds around him becoming apparent to him. Pigs oinking off in the field a ways away, along with the cows and chickens... familiar birds, deers, and animals were around the cottage, as if they were protecting him. Then, in a sudden instance, the birds and squirrels became insane, chirping and squeaking frantically. They all moved around, and the sound of a cursing old woman's voice startled Xephos. Quickly, he dashed outside to see a poor woman waving her hands helplessly at the birds flocked around her.

Xephos was quick to react, walking up calmly and shooing off the birds. "What you doing! Piss off!" He yelled, clearing a path for the old woman to escape. Looking thankful, the old woman clasped both of Xephos' hands in her own.

"Oh, thank you, child."

This made Xephos smile softly at the kindly woman. "It's okay. I'm not sure what got into those birds, though. Um... may I ask, what are you doing out here?"

It took all of the Queen's willpower not to make her face fall just then. She had not thought this through that well, it seemed.

"Oh, just on business... could I bother you for a glass of water, dear?"

"Oh! Yes, uh- come on in..." Xephos quickly opened the door for the older woman, to which she nodded and walked right in. Before giving a look to the animals, he closed the door behind the two and rushed to get a mug.

Once the woman had the water-filled mug in her hands and she was sat at the table, she began to ask questions like any older person would ask.

"Do you live alone here?"

Xephos had his back turned to her and was spreading the cake batter around in the pan. "No, actually... one other person." He blinked, slightly confused with his reply. Seven dwarves... but, they were the same person. So that would work. One person... Xephos was so lost in thought that he almost missed the woman's second question.

"What are you making?"

"A cake."

"Mmm." The Queen found her gaze was placed on the basket of Jaffas that were placed on the table beside her. _Now is your chance._

"Speaking of cakes, would you like a Jaffa cake, dear?"

At this question, Xephos' body froze. It was usually an automatic response to say 'sure!' and take one, but at that time it struck him as a dodgy question. After all, the Queen was after him, and anything could happen.

_Oh, come on! You're being too paranoid for God's sake! Look- she's just a sweet old woman!_ He told himself. He turned to face the woman, who was standing a foot away from him, a single cookie-like object in her hand. Xephos could only describe it as the famous Jaffa Cake, and seeing its chocolaty goodness just an arms length away made his mouth water.

"Yes, please!" He grinned, then realized one other dodgy thing. His hand froze before grabbing the cake. "But, why don't you have them in their original pack?"

As if there were others around, the old woman looked to her left and right before clearing her throat.

"Well, I have been... experimenting," at this Xephos' hand dropped. The Queen's eyes widened. "Oh, no, dearie! Nothing bad, I swear! I have done this spell before! You see, this- _these_ Jaffa cakes- they're magic wishing Jaffa Cakes!"

_Wishing._ This word smacked against Xephos' head, and memories of the well came back. He hadn't known what to wish for that day, and everything that had happened in between then and now had changed so much for him. He found himself thinking of Honeydew, who was cursed. Cursed by the Queen.

"And... you can wish for anything?" Xephos asked, his eyes transfixed on the Jaffa.

_"Anything."_ The woman insisted.

For a moment, Xephos only stared at the Jaffa Cake. Again, the dwarf came to his mind. He realized that with the power to wish for anything, he could reverse the effects of the curse, making Honeydew who he truly was. With that said... what else was there to wish for? He felt that Honeydew needed to be one again.

So, slowly, Xephos grabbed the Jaffa Cake, bringing it to his mouth. He closed his eyes, thinking hard about Honeydew and the curse.

_I wish... that Honeydew's curse would be no more. He would be his true self._ No looking back, he took a bite, opening his eyes. The woman's smile was now brighter and bigger than before, and this gave him that unsettled feeling once again. But that wasn't the only thing he seemed to be feeling. His eyelids felt like anchors, and his breathing became shallow. The only sound he could make out was the woman muttering 'yes, yes!' and her cackles. He collapsed to his knees, falling backwards.

He was then in a deep, deep slumber.

**X**

Meanwhile, the dwarves mined away happily, even though deep inside some worried about the fact that Xephos could be in danger. Still, they mined, trying to get their mind off of things.

The sound of frantic galloping and flapping sent the dwarves from their thoughts back to reality. They dropped their picks in shock. A flock of birds, deers, squirrels, and others they didn't have time to identify, were charging straight for them. At first they cursed and yelped, trying to get away. The animals were too fast for their stubby legs, of course. They nudged them in the direction that led back to the cottage. When the dwarfs finally understood, they shoved the animals off impatiently, stretching their legs to the limit.

Xephos was in danger, they knew that much.


	10. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves - Final

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter Nine - Xephos and the Seven Dwarves**

**Part Nine (Final)**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

Thunder rolled in from behind the hills, causing the dwarves to curse as they pushed their dwarven legs against the earth. As the seven ran in single file, small drops of rain pelted lightly against their helmets with a pang. This light rain quickly formed into strong, fat drops that shot down like rockets. The animals ahead dashed through the forming mud along the trail, their fur becoming damp and soiled. The path became slippery under the fourteen metal boots that stamped their soles into the soil, causing a couple dwarves to slip. They rose quickly, not about to get lost in the herd of the others.

Lightning spiked down around the cottage, making the old hag gasp. She pulled up her long hood of her cloak, noticing the sudden heavy amount of rain. But no change of weather could spoil her mood. Her deed was done, and she could now rest easy knowing she was the fairest. She planted her shoes into the wet earth, closing the door behind her.

Galloping, chirping.

She heard it all suddenly, rotating her body 180 degrees. Pieces of a puzzle clicked together inside her head, for those were the sounds of the animals previously. Panic shot through her, and she took the opposite trail from the one that led home. It was difficult to run, considering she was in fact in the body of an 80 year old. Still, her bony body clicked as she attempted to run.

The dwarves had eventually made it to their cottage, and from there they split up. Three went into the cottage, desperate to know if Xephos was alright, and the other four had spotted the old hag. Knowing of her devious tricks and magic, the dwarves were sure it was the Queen and followed her.

Bashfuldew, Sleepydew, and Happydew barged through the door in a rush. As they stepped in, they wished they hadn't once their eyes fell on the sight before them. Bashfuldew fell to his knees, which wasn't much of a fall for him. Tears formed in his black beady eyes as he eyed Xephos. He looked to be sleeping peacefully, which was the only upside to his appearance. Bashfuldew quickly put his head to the Prince's chest, listening carefully for a heartbeat.

There wasn't any heartbeat, not even a faint, slowing one.

"Oh, god..." Honeydew covered his mouth, standing up once again. "Xephos..."

"Oh, a Jaffa Cake!" Happydew cheered, despite the fact that Xephos was lying cold on the ground. Happydew waddled over to the cake that was only inches away from Xephos' limp hand. A bite had been taken out of it, and Bashfuldew was fast to notice. Happydew picked the Jaffa up, his mouth watering.

"Ah, hello, precious!" He mumbled, opening his mouth, the Jaffa Cake now inches from his mouth.

"NO!" Bashfuldew yelled, running towards his double. He threw out his hand, and-

The Jaffa Cake dropped to the floor, no other bites taken from it.

Bashfuldew sighed, relieved and thankful. If Happydew had eaten the Jaffa who knows what would have happened! Happydew gasped.

"What's wrong with you?! It's a Jaffa Cake! It's not like its- _ohhhh._" He blinked, observing the scene again. "Isn't Xephos just sleeping...?"

"Sleep?" Sleepydew yawned, stretching out his arms, wavering from side to side. "I like that... mmm... idea..."

Before Sleepydew could reach the ground, Bashfuldew and Happydew were at the dwarf's aid, holding him up by his muscular arms.

"We need to get the damned Queen! She's done this!" Happydew said, a devious smile on his face. "I love a good murder- let's go!" With that, he began to drag Sleepydew out of the doorway, along with Bashfuldew's help.

**X**

Deep in the cellar part of the palace, a scrawny, bony crow pecked at an Alchemy spell book. The current page viewed the spell of a Poisoned Pastry, along with its effects and how to break the spell. Some of it had to be continued on the other side, and with great effort, the crow had managed to get his beak under the page. He brought the page up with great effort, and had successfully flipped it over. He stared at the page, realizing that the spell was now totally different. It now showed the spell to wish for whatever. _Imitation Genie_, it was called. It showed about how if you either drank, or ate, a certain thing containing the spell, you had the power to wish for one thing. It could be anything at all, in fact, but you could only use the spell once.

If you weren't the Crow or the Queen, you would be smart enough to tell that the two pages were glued together.

**X**

Lightning flashed directly beside the hag as she cackled her way up the large stone mountain. Luckily for her, the dwarves had taken another route. The hag presumed they were climbing up the sides of the mountain, which gave her an idea. Her slender hand grasped the side of the stone trail as she walked upwards. It had only been a few minutes, yet she was exhausted. A massive boulder came into view, and she found herself smiling. She let go of the wall, heaving up the rest of the hill, where she grabbed a large stick. Careful not to break the stick, she wedged it under the rock, beginning to push upwards. The rock crushed against the thin amount of stone holding it up, and finally it just gave up and rolled off the thin surface. The hag cackled harder now, stepping towards the edge of the platform.

"How do you like th-" A loud crumbling interrupted her, and she looked downwards. Sure enough, the thin surface had begun to crack and crumble rapidly around her feet, and before she knew what was happening- she was falling to her death.

The seven dwarves pushed and shoved their ways to what was left of the platform, wanting to hear her screams as she fell. They all listened as the sound of her cries and pleas faded out, and they all looked to each other, grateful that the horrid Queen was finally gone. They knew that she would never be able to cause trouble in the world again.

A sudden whoosh of pressure smacked against Honeydew's back. It only lasted a few seconds before dying down. Honeydew only blinked. What had just happened...?

"What the-" He turned around to find all six dwarves missing from their places behind him. Not only that, but he felt... different... His vision was now higher up, and instantly that told him he had grown taller.

Honeydew was slow, but not that slow. After a few moments of thinking and looking around, his mind had finally processed the fact that he was one again, and the curse was lifted.

Honeydew, now happier that he was back to his old self again, walked back to his cottage. Nothing could ruin his mood just then... except...

The dwarf's eyes widened.

"Xephos!"

**X**

Honeydew panted as he shut the door quietly to his cottage. He slid over to Xephos, dropping to his knees a final time. The drop was longer, he noted. He put one hand behind the Prince's head and the other around his thin waist. With slight grunting, he managed to bring both him and Xephos up and to the couch. He laid Xephos down before sitting down next to him, careful not to lay all of his weight on his legs. Tears in the dwarf's eyes, Honeydew sighed, soaking in the state of Xephos. He looked so peaceful... yet, so dead. He was paler than before now, and the look of death clouded his eyes. Removing his gloves and looking away, Honeydew gingerly used his two fingers to shut Xephos' eyes. However, when he looked back, his mouth was still open slightly. For a while, Honeydew stared at his mouth, thinking about the small moments they had shared. Bashfuldew's memory of the other night flashed into his mind, making the dwarf softly smile.

_I wonder what it would be like to kiss him._

Honeydew's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. Whenever did that thought enter his mind?! His cheeks turned a vibrant red, making his head snap away from Xephos. Slowly, he turned back though, the thought creeping back up on him. Something urged him on to do it, too, which made it twice as more difficult.

_For God's sake! Just do it! … When he's dead? I don't know if... Shut up!_

Honeydew sighed. It was as if all seven personalities, that were barely his, were arguing. If they didn't stop, a headache would most likely sprout. His eyes found the way to his lips again.

_Just do it!_ His mind yelled angrily.

Quickly, Honeydew lunged, gently planting his lips against Xephos' cold, chapped ones. Butterflies rose in his stomach, and he pulled back. He wasn't too sure what the point of kissing him was; he was dead for Christ's sake! Honeydew slowly went back into his sitting position, burying his head into his hands.

"Oh, God, Xeph... Why did the Queen have to go and do what she did? You didn't deserve it... And now, I'm back as one... and she's dead... but," he sniffled, "you're dead, too..."

Honeydew took a few moments to sob silently, and in those few moments he didn't notice the fact that Xephos' eyelids fluttered before opening fully. The first thing that came into vision was Honeydew. But, where were the rest...? Then he remembered.

The Jaffa.

The wish.

Even though he had passed out, the wish had come true. Honeydew was no longer cursed. But, he was crying... why? Feeling sorry for the dwarf, Xephos slowly moved his hand to his bigger one, giving it a squeeze. Honeydew gasped, slowly removing his hands from his face. Noticing the smaller hand in his, he looked over to Xephos, who was now fully awake, slight concern on his face.

"Friend?"

"Xephos!" Honeydew quickly grabbed Xephos' thin body and brought him into his arms, holding him close. Xephos, not knowing what exactly had happened, only put his arms around the dwarf and patted his back.

"Why are you upset, friend..?" He asked, pulling away from the hug. Honeydew sighed, getting into the story of what had all happened.

**X**

"So, wait- the Queen poisoned me? Ugh! She told me it was a magic wishing Jaffa Cake! And, she was in disguise! How could I have been so stupid?!" Xephos collapsed down on the couch, head in his hands, groaning in slight frustration.

"Wait... magic wishing Jaffa Cakes...?"

Xephos looked up, a light blush formed on his face. "Um... yeah, you know, I... I wanted to relieve you of your curse... um..."

"Aw, Xeph..." Honeydew was completely touched at this. He was sure nobody else would do that for him.

There was an awkward silence before Xephos realized something. "Wait- how did I wake up?! Surely there is no way to wake me up... But, you know, it is black magic... there must have been some sort of advantage..."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure..." Honeydew trailed off. Now it was his turn to blush. Xephos noticed this and smirked.

"What?"

"Well, I... I may have... done something...?"

"What?"

Honeydew exhaled, looking away from the Prince. "I, uh... I kissed you..."

Xephos' eyes widened, and a tingling sensation formed on his lips. It was almost as if he remembered it from when he was unconscious. "O-Oh..." Besides the awkwardness of being kissed, it was touching that he would do that. But, why? He didn't know what would have broken the spell... so why did he do it? Only one answer. He had feelings for Xephos… possibly.

And did Xephos have feelings for him?

Slightly, yes.

Slowly, Xephos' hand placed itself on top of Honeydew's, the two men blushing softly. Maybe they could work something out...?

"Well, what to do now...?" The last two days had been action-packed, and Xephos was more than ready to relax. His mind flashed to the palace, and how the Queen wouldn't be able to rule anymore. And... He _was_ the Prince...

As if the dwarf was sharing the same mind, Honeydew squeezed Xephos' hand. "You're, err, kingdom needs you."

Xephos lightly chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it does..." He stood, still holding onto Honeydew's hand. "Why don't you come with me?"

"I couldn't do that..."

"Um, well, you have to come... because I don't really know how to get home."

"Oh."

This caused the two of them to giggle slightly before Honeydew stood. The two now faced each other, and before Xephos could think, he leaned down slightly to kiss the dwarf. Honeydew melted into the kiss, shutting his eyes and leaning into Xephos.

He knew there was a spark of something interesting in Xephos, and now he could finally take the time to figure out what it was.


	11. Chapter 9 point five

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 9.5**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

By the time Xephos and Honeydew were supposedly living happily ever after, Sips had passed out. He had been reading through the damned book all night, trying to get to the ending before falling into slumber. Unfortunately his goal was not achieved, and that morning when Sjin came in, he got questioned whilst being unconscious.

"Good morning, Sips! Hot coffee, just as you request-" Sjin stopped in the doorway, noticing Sips snoring loudly, a book on his stomach over the blankets. Sjin shook his head, silently walking in and placing his boss's coffee down on the nightstand nearby. He sat down beside the sleeping Canadian, picking up the book with his free hand, sipping his coffee with the other. It was opened to a certain page, and Sjin was careful to keep it for his boss. He flipped the book in his hand, almost choking on his coffee once he realized what it was. The same book he had found the other day! Sjin had never thought that somebody like Sips would read something... like that!

Startling him slightly, Sips began to stir, and before he could see Sjin, the bearded man quickly put the book back on his stomach and ran out, careful not to spill his coffee.

With a mighty roar, Sips roused from his sleep, the magnificent bastard. He sat up, trying to remember all that had happened the other night. He remembered falling asleep, but obviously very late at night due to his eyelids still feeling very heavy. He noticed the coffee on the table, and cursed, wondering how long it had been there. If it was handled poorly before being delivered to Sips, then it surely would have made a ring on the nice wood nightstand. He picked it up, relieved there was no ring involved in the wood whatsoever. He sometimes freaked about the smallest things.

Sips took a long drink of his coffee, which was well needed. It was the perfect temperature, and was exactly the way he liked it. He supposed Sjin had made it. Placing the cup back down, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, hearing a slap as he did. Sips' eyes flashed to the floor, where the book now laid cover-up. He picked up the book, flipping it over to the last page he was on, realizing he had missed one last paragraph on the first story. Knowing he should get straight to work, but wanting to know how it all ended, Sips told himself it would only take a second. Quickly, he shoved his nose into the book, mumbling the last paragraph.

"'And, so, the dwarf and the Prince walked back to the palace, where they freed the hunter'- oh, that's good- 'and together they ruled the kingdom and brought goodness into the world.'- did they bring dirt? That's my job, you're not allowed. - '... And they lived happily ever after.'" Sips closed the book, looking out the window from where he was on his bed.

"Happily ever after? What a bunch of bologna bullshit!"

**X**

Sometime in the afternoon, Sips had found himself in the cold Sips Co. Tower. He had gotten himself distracted once again, his mind in the clouds of the magical book again. It was shocking for him, that a single book could do this to him. He never exactly read things, not unless they had anything to do with his company or the other dumb-dumb companies. The distraction got worse once the dirt seller realized that the book was placed in his back pocket. He could easily whip it out here without getting caught by Sjin...

"Ah, screw it!" Sips said out loud, louder than he expected. It echoed off the walls, making Sips cringe, praying Sjin wouldn't be able to hear the sound from inside the other buildings. Sips pulled out the leather book, opening it. He flipped past the first story- he was done with that son of a story- and continued onto the next.

Welcome back, guys! You know the drill! But, first, a few things to clear up:

**PEOPLE WHO WANT BEAUTY AND THE BEAST/ZOETHIAN:**

_There is one I found awhile back on Tumblr: post/40341592424/beauty-and-the-beast_

**ALSO:** _There is a Zoethian Cinderella on DeviantART, I think I saw it. I'll put a link if I find it. /d5rcy1m_

That is all so far! Now to vote.

**Your options: (KEEPING SCORE ON DEVIANTART)**

1. Xephos and the Seven Dwarves (PAIRING: Honeyphos) *****DONE!*****

2. Sjinderella (PAIRING: Sjips)

3. Rapunzeldew (PAIRING: Honeyphos)

4. Sleeping Zoeya (PAIRING: Zoethian)

5. ((INSERT SOMETHING XEPHMADIA. Note: Rapunzel will not work, unless I do that instead of Rapunzeldew.))

Sips wants you to vote RIGHT NOW. So, go! You only have **until July 5th.**


	12. Sjinderella - Part 1

**((Hello again, readers! The voting went fantastic and the next story is SJINDERELLA. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you have any questions, I sort of already cleared out things on deviantART. I will provide links, do not fear! Thanks for reading this short message, and welcome, to Sjinderella!))**

* * *

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 10**

**Sjinderella - Part 1**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

_Once upon a time..._

… There lived an altogether, common family, holding a father, mother, and son. The family was not poor, but not wealthy, though their house was bigger than others. The son, Sjin, was very much adored by both the parents, and this lasted for a long amount of time. That is, until the son's mother passed abruptly when he was seven. Knowing he could not bear to raise the child on his own, the son's father took desperate measures and married Ridgedog, which was obviously a surprise to the son. Since when was his father into men? Moving on, Ridgedog was a successful Demi-God with two sons from his first marriage, Rythian and Lalna. Mysterious and cruel, these two step brothers built up something against Sjin since the first day they laid eyes on him. Upon good time, though, Sjin's father passed, leaving him in the care of Ridgedog. Ridgedog, Rythian, and Lalna begin to mistreat and abuse Sjin out of hate. They even allowed their cat, Lomadia, to torment him with cat-like schemes. Despite being forced to serve in his own home, Sjin still knows there is something out there for him. Maybe even a love as great as his parents were.

**X**

_He could barely make out the dark-wooden door just steps away from him. Realization struck him, and he began to wonder- what if the one thing he wanted most was behind that smoothly carved door? The thought made his heart race, and he became giddy with happiness. He quickly walked over to the door, pulling it open to find..._

_… A tall figure, standing over him by only a foot. He wore no face, though he had short black hair and a tidy suit on. Sjin felt a bit out of place, as he stood there in only rags before the fancy man. The man opened his mouth, reaching his hand out, and chirped. Wait, what?_

_The chirps became more frantic by the second, becoming so loud that it-_

-woke Sjin from his slumber. Sjin groaned frustratingly, yanking the pillow over his head, refusing to get up like a fussy child. Once again, the birds had roused him from his sleep, and one of them just would not give up. Sticking its small head through a peak in the pillow, it chirped louder, making Sjin jump. He cried out, sitting up as he did, his hair all in frantic places. At the end of the bed, two noisy birds sat. Sjin frowned.

"Ah, you guys!" He complained, making slight whimpering sounds. The two birds only looked amused at this.

Sjin crossed his arms. "I was having a really cool dream, if you were wondering." He mumbled, sitting back against the headboard. The two birds cocked their tiny heads to one side, looking up at the bearded man with curious, beady black eyes. Sjin rolled his eyes, the hint of an amused smile on his lips.

"Oh, now you're interested in knowing? You know I never kiss and tell! Oh... but... I guess I just gave some of it away didn't I? Oh... Well, no. I'm not telling! It won't come true that way!" Sjin began to finger-comb through his beard, making it so he looked at least half-decent when it came to his facial hair.

"A dream is a wish your heart makes, after all." He said matter of factly.

"Really?" A familiar voice squeaked from his nightstand. Sitting on the edge, his feet dangling, was Xephos, a mouse who, like the other mice, lived in the attic with Sjin. Despite it being stuffy and dusty in the attic, Sjin was thankful to be living in the attic, otherwise he would have never met Xephos. Or the others, of course. In his little brown leather jacket and blue and brown slacks, Xephos looked up to Sjin, a hint of curiosity in his blue eyes.

Sjin smiled and nodded. "Yeah- or, at least- that's what I've heard."

The sound of a massive clang echoed throughout the village and into the Ridgedog estate, causing a frown to appear upon Sjin's face. He groaned. "Damn that bell." He mumbled, getting out of bed and stomping to the open window, where a great view of the nearby palace could be sighted. The palace stood tall and slender, the vivid colours of it standing out just barely. Sjin sighed, turning to face the small amount of birds and mice that had gathered suddenly.

"Well, guess it's time to start another day in hell." Knowing he had to be quick, Sjin began to walk at a fast pace, fluffing his pillow and making his bed (along with some birds' help, of course). Next, he grabbed his towel from a nearby chair and ran into the next room, his clothes being discarded as soon as he entered the other room.

Even though Ridgedog had moved him into the attic and out of his way, Sjin still had all of his personal needs up there with him. He had split the attic into two rooms- one, a bathroom, and the other a bedroom. It was still small, though, but it was something at least.

Coming out of the shower feeling fresh and more aware of his surroundings, Sjin, with his towel wrapped around his waist, walked to wear some birds had placed his clothes neatly on the same chair that held his towel. Sjin picked up the ragged and poorly-sewn dress from the chair, quickly throwing it over his head.

Oh yes, one more torture of living and serving the Ridgedog estate- Sjin had to wear a dress while serving them all. It was for their entertainment, of course.

He tied his usual apron on in an awkward position, and then sadly looked at himself in his vanity, which he had no clue as to why he owned a vanity.

Sjin was a semi-tall, dark-haired man with a long beard wearing a dress. What else was there to see?

Tearing his eyes away from the horrifying view, he sat down, putting his head in his hands. Thankfully he had a moment of his own time before having to serve to the most horrible people of the world.

Xephos stumbled out from under the bed, frantically mumbling things as he did so. He scurried over to the vanity, clawing his way up to the surface so he could make out Sjin's face. Sjin, hearing the quick pattering of his feet, looked up. Xephos was in hurry to say what he had to, but he just couldn't get out the words.

"Sjin-ah-oh-he-um-" This went on for a few seconds before Sjin could giggle and hold up a hand.

"Hold on, hold on, Xephos. Slow down. What is it?" He dropped his hand, the amused smile still stuck on his face.

"A new mouse! Never seen him before! He's new!" Xephos managed to blurt out all in three sentences.

"Oh, really? Awesome, okay... Is it a she? I bet. So, she'll need a dress, and..." Sjin began to open a drawer that held clothes made by the mice that roamed the attic. These clothes were only in case there were new comers, and surely this was an occasion to use them.

Xephos waved his arms out in front of him to stop Sjin. "No, no, no!" Picturing the mouse he had seen earlier in the small dress made Xephos laugh, throwing his head back. "It's a he! Jesus, imagine if we gave him that!"

Hearing the semi high-pitched laugh of Xephos made Sjin giggle slightly as well. "Oh yeah, okay." He put the dress back, bringing out a couple of shirts.

"Oh- one more thing. Sjin? He's in a trap." Xephos scratched the back of his head, knowing he should have said that part sooner.

"What?! Oh no!" Sjin stood up; ignoring the sudden head rush he had collected doing so, and scurried to the door, Xephos right behind him. He opened the door, making sure not to slam it and crush Xephos. Silently, not to wake Rythian and Lalna, he closed the door cautiously, and then dashed for the stairs. Quickly his feet gently padded against the wooden staircase as he flitted down them. Halfway down the stairs, was a long metal cage, where two mice looked into. Sjin quickly slid to a stop, bending down. The two mice outside of the cage spoke in a quick matter.

"Shut up, you guys!" Xephos walked over as Sjin gently lifted the cage to eye-level.

Sjin peered in. A fairly chubby mouse sat looking fairly scared. His stomach rose and fell with every quick breath he took. Sjin didn't waist any time, opening the cage. Sjin could tell he wouldn't take word from a human, so he slowly set down the cage, looking to Xephos and nodding.

Xephos nodded back, taking a deep breath and walking into the cage.

"Hello, friend!" Xephos said, feeling slightly awkward in the moment. It wasn't everyday that they would get a new mouse in the house. The mouse bunched his fists together, thinking Xephos was a threat. Xephos stuck out his hands in defence.

"Waah- wait, wait! We're safe here, all safe. Including him!" Xephos pointed to Sjin, who gave a slight smile. The mouse looked hesitant as he looked around at all of them, but slowly let his hands be at rest.

"Okay. Good. So, we're good?" Xephos stuck out his hand-or, in this case, a paw. The mouse gave a slight smile, he nodded, taking the other's paw and shaking it.

"I guess, um..." The mouse shrugged. "Who're you, anyways?"

"Oh- I'm Xephos."

"Xeph...os?"

"You got it."

"Hmm. Weird, but cool, I think."

"C'mon," Xephos said, throwing a hand around the bigger mouse's shoulders.

"Sjin will get you all straightened out."

* * *

**(And there you have it! First installment to Sjinderella, which is going to be awesome, by the way. **

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	13. Sjinderella -Part 2

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 11**

**Sjinderella - Part 2**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

One thing that put Sjin slightly off track was the fact that anybody could tell this mouse was different from all the others. Sure, it was chubbier than all the others, but it had a _ginger beard_ for God's sake. Sure, Xephos had some facial hair as well, and it was odd that the others didn't, but this shade of facial hair made him stand out from all the rest. A unique mouse, he was.

The two mice walked out of the cage, with the newcomer looking quite awkwardly. His hands here behind his back, one leg swinging across the wood surface. He looked to the floor, as if Sjin was scolding him about being trapped. Sjin only smiled.

"Hey, how'd you get in there?"

"Well, you see, I was looking for some honeydew... um..."

Sjin, slightly more interested in this story now, cocked his head to one side. "Honeydew? Why look for one thing in particular?"

"I just really like Honeydew, okay?!" The mouse replied, feeling uncomfortable with the sudden judgement.

Sjin laughed, putting up his hands in defence. "Okay, okay! Well, why don't you come up with us and we'll get you straightened out."

"Sounds alright- sure!"

Sjin put his palm out for the two mice to climb aboard, to which the two mice accepted. The other two mice ran into a nearby mouse hole. Sjin stood now, the two mice finding a nice place on his shoulder. On the way to the stairs, the new mouse questioned Sjin's attire, to which he only sighed miserably. Once the three entered the attic, Sjin walked back to the vanity, where the two mice jumped to the wood surface. Sjin, making sure his dress didn't ride up, sat down gracefully and opened the drawer which contained the small clothing. He fished through the large amount of women's clothes, finding a small Viking-like helm, a very handy belt with lots of storage pockets, and some black pants. Or, trousers, whatever. Anyways, Sjin brought these items out, placing them down in front of the mouse. Xephos picked them up, holding them in front of Honeydew so he could get an image in mind.

"Sjin- I- I think this'll do." Xephos said, placing the helm on the new mouse. The new mouse smiled, fixing the helmet on his head so it fit properly. He slid on the pants and put on the belt, then turned to face the mirror.

"Aw, man. Looks good." Xephos said, nodding for encouragement. Xephos was right- it was as if the clothes were made for the mouse.

"Now, all we need is a name." Sjin said, looking at the mouse hard. His mind searched through a wide array of simple names, but then he remembered something. And, in a way, it fit the mouse.

"Honeydew."

"Honeydew?" The new mouse turned to face Sjin, biting his lip and thinking hard at the sound of the new given name. "Sounds good. Alright!"

"Awesome, okay." Sjin stood from his chair, looking at the mice and then nodding. "I've got to go now- Xephos; don't forget to warn him about the cat."

"Oh-! Shoot, right... Bye, Sjin!" Xephos waved, watching the poor man walk out the door. The footsteps of Sjin soon faded out, and that was when Xephos turned to Honeydew.

"So, have you seen the cat in the house?"

"No, but I do know how cats are, bloody bastards."

Xephos laughed, throwing his head back. "Hah! Yeah, but this one is just plain cruel. Quite the attitude, it has. Name's Lomadia."

"Lomadia? What's with all the weird names in this house?"

"Hey, I wouldn't be the one talking, _Honeydew._"

"I suppose you have a point, there."

**X**

The door to the main floor of the Ridgedog Estate opened up, and in stepped Sjin. Gingerly, he walked along the carpeted floor boards, reaching one side of the long hallway and opening the large red velvet curtains. A silent _whoosh_ could be heard, but it wasn't enough to awake the three from their much needed beauty sleeps. The daylight broke through the window, lighting up the trail to Ridgedog's bedroom. On the tips of his toes, Sjin made his way across from the window to the large white door. Hoping the door would not creak like previous times it had done, Sjin held his breath as he turned the golden door knob. Luckily for him, it did not creak, but only opened silently. Turned out that the old remedy of Vaseline on the hinges had been successful. The light traveled through the slightly-opened door, shining bright on a blonde-coloured cat that slept peacefully on its cushion.

Lomadia, the blonde cat, groaned in it's sleep, opening one eye eventually to look into the light, seeing the horrifying silhouette of Sjin in a dress.

"Here, kitty, kitty," Sjin beckoned, gesturing for the cat to come his way. Lomadia, giving the same response every time, only groaned, stood, and turned away from the light.

Sjin rolled his eyes. He had no damn time for Lomadia's shenanigans! He had so much to do, and daylight fell just as soon as it rose!

_"Lomadia!"_ Sjin hissed through his teeth, _"get over here!"_ He pointed to a place beside him. Lomadia, frustrated just as much as Sjin, let out a long sigh, gracefully jumped from what looked to be a sleeping pedestal, and pranced out. Once she was out the door, she stretched out wide, letting out a big yawn. She produced deep scratches along the floor just because Sjin had to awake her. Sjin only sighed, knowing he'd be scolded later. He began to walk to the main floor's stairway, Lomadia in tow.

"I'm so very sorry if you object to an early breakfast," Sjin 'apologised,' "but it was not my idea, and Ridgedog says it's good for your health to eat early. Which is kind of weird..." He shook his head, dismissing the thought, and then gestured for the feline to continue following him. The two travelled down the stairs, being watched by two mice in a nearby mice hole.

**X**

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Look at the way she walks!" Honeydew laughed awfully loud for a mouse, and imitated the cat's walk. This caused Xephos to burst out laughing, as well as Honeydew.

"Ah, she's not so bad, I could take her." Honeydew clenched his fists and began to walk forwards. At first, Xephos thought he was only joking, but when he didn't stop walking, Xephos grabbed him by the tail, yanking him back.

"No! Jesus Christ- you'll get eaten out there!"

"...Ugh, fine."

"Right- let's go back."

**X**

Sjin opened the door to a dark room. Soft whimpering could be heard, and while it bothered Lomadia, Sjin knew exactly who it was when he turned on the light, stepping into the cold kitchen.

Parvis' paws twitched frantically as whimpers escaped his half-open mouth. He lay on the rug, possibly having a nightmare, Sjin presumed. Lomadia stayed on the small set of stairs, eyeing Parvis suspiciously. Sjin opened the top half of the door, watching as the daylight came into the room to warm it.

Sjin knew that if he didn't settle Parvis' nightmare situation quickly, Lomadia would surely walk away. She had a right issue with dogs. Sjin's black women's flats clacked against the stone floor as he leaned over the Basset Hound.

"Parvis?" He whispered. When getting the same whimpering and growling response, he repeated the canine's name. "Parv!"

Parvis began to sit up, the thin rug in his mouth. Parvis released the rug from his mouth, opening his eyes and giving a sleepy smile to Sjin. The dog attempting a smile caused Sjin to give a small smile back at the dog. He got down on his knees, scratching the dog's ears.

"Dreaming again?" He asked. Parvis nodded.

"Was it about chasing Lomadia?" Again, the canine nodded.

"Catch her finally?" More nodding.

"Well, that's not good!" Sjin exclaimed, causing the dog to stop his smile. He sucked his tongue back in. In the background, Lomadia's hissing laughter could be heard. Sjin stood, getting to work on putting the wood on the wood stove.

"Could you imagine if they heard you upstairs? You know the orders." Sjin said, quickly moving to the cabinet, grabbing teapots, tea cups, trays and plates. "If you don't want to lose your only resource for shelter, I think you better get rid of those dreams." Sjin said simply, carrying the held items to a nearby counter.

"Want to know how to get rid of them?" Behind the server, Parvis shook his head, his droopy ears dancing along with it.

"Just learn to like cats." Sjin said simply. Parvis shuddered at the mere thought. How could anybody think that he could make friends with the enemy?! Sjin snickered at Parv's reaction.

"Well, hang on now- I think you'd get along okay with Lomadia- for one thing, she..."

Lomadia was now prancing up to Parvis, small head high in the air. She sat beside him, looking proud and waiting for compliments.

"Well, I mean, she..."

Still, the cat waited.

"Huh. You know, I can't really think of anything."

Lomadia stared at Sjin, eyes wide. Woooww.

A shaky dog-laugh escaped from Parvis, to which Lomadia fiercely scratched him for. The dog let out a growl, making Lomadia let out a fake-cry. Sjin turned to look at the two, a bowl of milk in hand.

"Aw, Parvis! Why?" Sjin complained, walking over and grabbing him by the collar. Parvis glared at the cat, watching her give off a devious smirk. Sjin, barely noticing this, began walking out, Parvis in tow.

"Look- I know it's not easy, but I think we can make it work if we just try!" Sjin said, attempting to console the dog as Sjin made him walk out of the house. He wandered outside sadly, not looking back. Sjin frowned at this, and then looked back to Lomadia, who sat there watching Sjin like a hawk. Sjin glared at the cat, basically throwing down the milk in front of her.

"And that means you, too."


	14. Sjinderella - Part 3

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 12**

**Sjinderella - Part 3**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

"Breakfast time, everybody up!" Sjin announced, walking out of the small kitchen and into the clear morning air. Out of their large coop, as well as all different angles of the small farm, chickens of every gender and colour came towards Sjin, covering the ground as they flooded in. A grey horse lazily stuck his head out from his stable, looking around with droopy eyes. A few chickens had run out of his small home, and frankly he was glad. He could use the room, old horse.

Up in yet another crack in the ancient estate, five small brown creatures stood, watching Sjin like small harmless hawks. With their beady eyes, they eyed the grass seed in Sjin's palms, and their stomachs began to rumble. Their mouths began to water. It was a good thing Xephos spoke up when he did.

"C'mon guys! Grass seed!" He commanded, beginning to break into a fast run for the nearest exit. The other two followed, and for a moment, Honeydew only watched them.

"What about Honeydew?" He mumbled, and then sighed. The grass seed was probably the only food he would get that day, so he began to catch up with the others.

Through the crooks and crannies of the Ridgedog Estate, the mouse squeezed their way through to the exit. The nearest exit was to through the kitchen, where Lomadia still lurked.

The mice were only to figure this out when they got out of the hole. Xephos stopped abruptly, realizing they were then in the presence of the feline. The other two bumped into Xephos, almost sending him forward. Honeydew was the last one out, and bumped into all three of them. He was of course the strongest of them all, and caused them all to stumble, almost sending Xephos to the floor. The mice frantically looked around, their eyes falling on the blonde cat just a few feet away from them.

"Aw, no..." Xephos muttered. Quickly, they all filed back into the hole, thinking that Lomadia could notice their presence at any moment.

They formed a small huddle. They spoke in hushed tones before Xephos quieted them down.

"Listen- I've got an idea, right? So, one of us can just go distract her, get chased, blah-blah-blah, and get chased in a corner or something. Then, the rest of us run out. Sound good?"

The two mice agreed, but Honeydew thought it was the most stupid idea ever. Risk their life like that? How stupid! But... since everybody was agreeing, Honeydew felt stupid being the only one not to. The mice surely knew what they were doing. So, Honeydew nodded. Xephos nodded back. One of the other mice spoke up.

"Who's going to do it?"

Xephos thought for a few moments before nodding. "Okay, okay- tails in guys."

Each of the mice turned around, so they faced away from all the others. They stuck their tails in the middle of the small circle they had formed, tying them together. Shielding his eyes and picking a random tail out of the bunch, Xephos called out "Now!"

The two mice jumped away from the circle, soon followed by Honeydew. Thankfully, neither of them got picked. Unfortunately for Xephos, he had stupidly grabbed his own tail. He looked at it now with a slightly disappointed and scared expression. The other mice, taking this as a death sentence, removed their hats and sadly waved at the mouse in mourning. Xephos sighed, turning to face Honeydew.

"Eh, you'll be fine." Honeydew said, waving the thought away. Xephos smiled, happy to have somebody rooting for him. He took a deep breath, giving a stern nod to the mice, then marching out. The others crowded around the crack in the wall, watching with anticipation.

Xephos stepped out, hugging the wall as he watched the cat with fearful eyes. Lomadia sat, facing the doorway, her blonde furry tail swaying from side to side occasionally. Xephos heart rate sped up as the anticipation increased. It was adrenaline rushing, this devious task. Knowing that Lomadia wasn't going to look behind her anytime soon, Xephos began to quickly tip-toe across the stone floor. His pace quickened with each small step he progressed into. He stopped abruptly just as he arrived inches away from the feline's flank. Making sure Lomadia was not apparent of her surroundings; Xephos began to creep up from the side of her. His small hands grazed her fur ever so slightly, but it was not enough to bring her back to reality. Her fur was usually brushed with a high quality brush every evening, and boy did it make a difference! Lomadia's fur was quite soft and silky against him. But that didn't matter to a mouse. Perhaps in another story this pairing will be more apparent.

Xephos, noticing the dish of milk placed out for the cat, began plotting. Once he got an idea, he waved over to the others. Three small pairs of eyes locked their gazes onto the mouse, and then he began playing charades. He gestured over to the dish, then to her face, and then he kicked into the thin air. He nodded for approval.

The others smirked, but it took Honeydew a bit longer than them to notice what was about to happen. Soon though, when a light bulb sprang to life in his mind, Honeydew began to laugh his loud laughter. The others quickly covered his mouth.

Xephos turned back to the dish, readying his strength. He focused all of his strength on his leg muscles, took a few steps back, then lunged, fiercely flinging his small leg out and hitting her square in the front leg.

Lomadia's front leg, which she had been leaning her head against, smacked down to the dish, causing the contents to fly out in her face, staining her fur. The dish clattered down and soon slowed to a stop. Lomadia sat up straight, temper boiling. She looked around the room, and then caught sight of Xephos, who smiled deviously up at her while laughing so hard he was crying.

Xephos wiped some stray tears from his face; thankful his vision was clearing up quick- he would need his vision for the next part of his plan. Lomadia screeched, and then lunged to scoop Xephos up in her paws. Xephos yelped, beginning to dash away. The two ran around like idiots, Lomadia chasing Xephos around table legs and past the broom. Once the broom left his vision, the sight of the mouse hole came into view, and Xephos was quick to turn back around, scramble up the broom, and then into the hole. Lomadia glared at the hole for a moment, waiting for Xephos to escape at any point.

Another hole was in view, and from there Xephos appeared. He gave a wave over to the other mice, signalling that everything was safe for them to cross into the outside.

The mice happily walked out of the hole, waving to Xephos as they did.

**X**

Outside, Sjin quietly hummed to himself, feeding the seeds to the horse outside. He gently stroked the horse's long smoky mane. With his other hand he held the fabric of his apron, which in its dip held the seeds. Around him, the multicoloured chickens swarmed to feed.

"Sjin, Sjin!" The two other mice called in their high-pitched voices. Honeydew only innocently stood by, not exactly knowing how to talk to Sjin. When Sjin noticed them, Honeydew gave an awkward wave. Sjin smiled softly back, kneeling down.

"Hey, I was wondering where you guys got to!" Sjin said, not acknowledging the lack of Xephos. "Anyways, here comes breakfast!" Sjin reached into the pile of seed with his free hand, coming back out with a handful of the yellow seed. He gracefully threw the handful onto the ground nearby the mice.

Before the chickens could get a hold of their morning meal, the mice acted fast; dashing into the pile and grabbing as many seeds as they could. Honeydew let the others go before him- what a horrible choice that was.

In a matter of seconds, chickens flocked to the new pile of food, pecking at it furiously.

Now if you knew Honeydew, you'd know he was one hungry dw- I mean, mouse. He was not going to let anything get between him and his food, especially not dumb chickens. For a few moments Honeydew struggled to get through the growing crowd, attempting to get at least one seed in his hands. Sadly though. Whatever seed he went to the chickens already had grabbed it first. Then finally! A single piece of seed awaited him. He pushed a chicken aside, clawing at the seed and hugging it close to his chest.

"Excuse me, sorry!" Honeydew chirped, turning to walk away. Unfortunately, his bad luck swooped in again, and the chicken stepped on his foot, sending him to collapse. The seed fell out of his grasp, tumbling away from his hands. Honeydew swore. Whose idea was this anyways? Quickly, he collected his balance, running over to the last seed that was caught in another chicken's beak. Honeydew let out a battle cry, grabbing hold of the seed and not giving up his wrestle with the chicken. It had seemed that his bad luck had left the building, for Honeydew had been shaken and shaken by that chicken, ending up sprawled out on the ground once again.

Only difference that time was that he had the seed in his small grubby hands.

Mission accomplished.


	15. Sjinderella - Part 4

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 13**

**Sjinderella - Part 4**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

Once seeing that the three mice were prepared to come back, Xephos smiled, and put his jacket on his tail. Like a snake coming out of a basket, Xephos' coat came out of the second hole in the wall, and with the help of his tail, it shook violently.

Spotting this ever so quickly, Lomadia dashed for the small red target. But, of course, Xephos retrieved his jacket and swiftly re-equipped it. Next, he gave a wave to the awaiting mice. Quickly, the two mice dashed, and Honeydew came running behind them as well with two pieces. The other piece Sjin gave him after the chickens soon fled, and boy he was happy about that.

What he wouldn't be too thrilled about was the fact that Lomadia had grown tired of Xephos' schemes, and though she kept guard by the wall, her eyes wandered. Unfortunately, her eyes caught sight of Honeydew, who sadly was not a fast runner like the others. Lomadia licked her lips, locking her focus on the helpless mouse who was not a regular to her. Xephos, noticing this, swore, trying to distract Lomadia by frantically waving his hand around her crystal-like eyes, and even pulling her tail as she began to creep up on the mouse.

Honeydew, who had been so focused on trying to run, did not see her step in front of him. Abruptly, he stopped, staring up into Lomadia's icy blue stare. Honeydew inhaled deeply, his chest puffing out as he gave a dark green stare right back. Welp.

Lomadia opened her large mouth, revealing her pearl-white teeth and pale-pink tongue. Honeydew only stared, slightly frozen in shock and fear. Quickly, his mind shouted at him, telling him to leave as fast as he could, but when he tried to step backwards, the mouse found he could not. Lomadia had her paw right on Honeydew's tail, and her other paw raised up, ready to trap him.

"Shi-" Before Honeydew could even swear a broom collapsed onto the feline's head, causing her slight dizziness. Quickly, Honeydew fled. Forget the food Honeydew had mistakenly dropped, his life were at stake!

From the hole in the wall, Xephos watched as Honeydew scampered off; thankful they hadn't lost anybody that day. He would not lose to Lomadia, that was for sure. He popped back into the hole, finding the pathway that led back to Sjin's room.

Honeydew was lost. He couldn't seem to find the secret exit, and he needed to get away from Lomadia! He kept running, and before he knew it, a long blue tablecloth clouded his vision. At first he batted it away, but then it gave him an idea. Using his small claws, he made his way up the tablecloth. Soon, a bunch of china was in view, and a teacup was nearest to him. Thankful that he was then in a safe place, Honeydew stumbled over to the small plate where the teacup was placed, sitting down and sighing. His stomach rose and fell rapidly as he fought for breath. A shadow cast over him suddenly, and before he knew what was going on, the support of the teacup behind him was gone, sending him on his back. As he struggled to get up, the blurred image of a certain blonde-haired cat whirled by, and then the only thing he could see was the inside of the teacup.

Lomadia meowed, congratulating herself, and was about to take a peek at her fresh meal, when the sound of bells filled the room.

**X**

"Sjin! Get your ass up here!" Lalna's voice screeched through the kitchen. Sjin sighed. Out of everything in his schedule, serving his step-brothers and his stepfather was the worst part of each day. Sjin groaned, stepping into the kitchen. Sure enough, Lalna's bell was having a seizure, and that combined with Lalna's whiny voice was just what Sjin needed in the damn morning! The bell was attached to a long string that went up to his bedroom. Everybody in the house had one. Everybody but Sjin.

"Alright, alright!" Sjin pleaded, though nobody but Lomadia could hear him. Quickly, he ran to the china that he had set out earlier, turning two teacups over. He was about to do the third, but then realized the oatmeal was hot enough to put in the awaiting bowls. Quickly he moved to the stove, and this was a perfect opportunity for Lomadia to fetch her snack. She quickly got up on her back legs, looking over the teacups. She quickly realized that they may have been tampered with, so she began turning each one over. The ones that did not have Honeydew in, she left in their exact place. The third one was it, it must have been. But before the cat could fish her prize out, Sjin was on his way back. Lomadia quickly returned to her hiding place under the table.

Sjin placed three hot bowls of oatmeal on the trays, placing the teacups alongside them, muttering things like "I'm coming, yes, hold on." He soon left for one more thing, and Lomadia's chance returned. Thinking the teacup was in the last place it recently was, Lomadia grabbed at the tablecloth, disappointed the mouse was not in her grasp. Damn. Going insane, she began to check the teacups again. She lifted all three, not noticing that one of them carried the dazed mouse. Seeing the other two were empty, and remembering something was indeed behind the cup on her right, Lomadia dashed for the cup.

Unfortunately, Sjin returned, and Lomadia lost all her chances. Quickly, Sjin began to fill all their own personal teapots. By then all of their crazy voices could be heard, causing Sjin to bite his lip to stop himself from screeching.

Once all the trays were prepared, Sjin balanced one on his head, and the other two in his arms. Quickly as he could, Sjin walked up the stairs, Lomadia in tow. Up the sets of stairs Sjin walked as fast as he could, thankful that throughout the years he had gained balancing skills. He tried to be the quickest as possible, and once he was up the stairs, he thought he was good to go. But, his right shoe slid off, surprisingly. Very carefully, he turned around, scolding himself for not being careful.

_You'd think women's shoes would be tighter, but not for me, apparently, _Sjin thought, slipping his shoe back on. He had a strange habit of losing his shoes, he had no idea why. He turned 180 degrees once again, and continued upwards.

_Right. First person, Lalna. Oh, God..._ Sjin thought, swinging the door open with his foot and stepping into the darkness. With this kind of routine, Sjin swore he had picked up night vision. If he hadn't of, well, that would have been a problem. Tea and oatmeal would have gone everywhere.

"Good morning, Lalna!" Sjin forced out in the most cheery voice he could manage.

"Whhhaaateevvver, Sjin. Now, I want you to take those clothes and iron them for me. Have them back in an hour!" Lalna snapped, taking the tray from his bedside table and pouring his tea. He sat up grumpily in bed; sure his tea and oatmeal were cold due to Sjin's tardiness.

Lomadia watched as Sjin walked out with a basket of laundry in one hand, and two trays in one hand and the other. Next stop, Rythian.

Sjin kicked the door open, finding a forced smile on his face, just as always. "Good morning, Rythian." He chirped, though a hint of misery forever remained in his voice. Rythians face appeared from the darkness, a smirk on his face. The sight of Sjin being miserable in a dress made him oh-so pleased in the morning.

"It's about time, gorgeous," Rythian teased, his smirk evolving into a smile. Sjin said nothing, and only placed down the tray on Rythians bedside table. When he stood up straight, he was greeted by Rythians serious look.

"Seriously, be more on time." He spat. "My clothes are ruined; don't forget you have to fix them. Don't take all day, Christ."

"Yes, Rythian." Sjin said, his voice becoming more and more drained of the fake-cheer each day. He picked up the basket of torn clothes in the corner, dumping the clothes in with Lalna's. Sometimes Sjin wondered what the hell Rythian did with his life. Usually all his clothes had giant cuts and gashes in them. It was sometimes very difficult to fix. With now one tray on his head, and more clothes, Sjin left Rythian to his business. Two done, one to go.

_At least Ridge tries in the slightest way..._ Sjin tried to console himself. He opened the door, awkwardly clearing his throat.

"Yeah, come in," the Demi-God spoke into the darkness of his much larger room compared to the two brothers.

Sjin let out a quiet sigh before taking his steps inside. "Good morning, Ridgedog."

"Get the laundry and get out." He said firmly, making Sjin recoil. He made sure to be extra fast when he put down the tray and got the laundry. He dashed out, now with two quantities of laundry. Well, three if you break up the combined one.


	16. Sjinderella - Part 5

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 14**

**Sjinderella - Part 5**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

Screaming.

Though Lomadia was only a few feet away from the source of it, she knew she could hear it even from the bottom floor with her sharp senses. But because she was so close, it pounded against her ears, causing them an aching sensation. But then she realised what the blood-curdling scream meant. One, whoever it was, was obviously a very skittish man, and two, snack time!

Blonde paws smacking against the hardwood floor, Lomadia dashed outside of Rythians door, whom she know dubbed a scrub lord. The feline stretched out her paws, awaiting the prey. Right on time, Honeydew stumbled out of the small space between the floor and the door, walking right into the trap. How stupid of him.

"Father, father!" Rythian whined from his room, giving Lomadia her queue to back up out of harms way, mouse still in the trap. Sjin stopped in his tracks. He had ran down, put the mound of clothing downstairs – which he would do later on – and walked up to Rythians door. Might as well see what all the fuss is about.

Rythian stumbled out of his quarters, a look of shock and pure horror masked over his… well, mask. Once he caught sight of Sjin, who was only a foot away from him, his eyes became slits as he glared at the servant. He pointed a long finger at his face.

"You did it on purpose you bastard!" He spat. But he had no time to force the truth out of a wench like Sjin. He scrambled into his father's room, his arms flailing about. "Father, father!"

Sjin stared down the hallway, slightly phased out. What had just happened? Thinking it had nothing to do with him, despite the fact that Rythian had the audacity to blame him, the servant only shrugged, turning around to head down to the laundry room. Get some work done. Though, spinning around on his heels, he was then face to face with Lalna. Sjin yelped and jumped, taking a small step back. He knew how Lalna could be when he got very cross.

"What the hell have you done now Sjin?" Lalna whined. Not wishing to wait for an answer, Lalna followed his brother's tracks into their father's room, just missing Lomadia who lay in the middle of the hallway still.

Wanting to know an answer himself, Sjin waited out in the hallway, eyes transfixed on the open door to Ridgedog's room.

"Sjin put a goddamn disgusting mouse in my teacup!" Rythian exclaimed loudly. Sjin's eyes widened. Oh, no he had not! The servant tugged on the sleeves of his dress, ready to go in there and tell them what was true and what was not, when he noticed Lomadia, doing that wry cat grin she always did when she was up to something. For a moment Sjin raised an eyebrow, but he soon completed the puzzle. In a calm matter, he walked over to the cat, who only glanced up at him with attempted innocent blue eyes.

Sjin held his hand out, palm exposed. "Alright, give the mouse up, fiend. Your crime days are over!"

Lomadia growled slightly, bowing her head over her clasped paws. Sjin only continued to stare down at her with a serious, straight face.

"C'mon. We all know your little secret, pussy cat." The servant's fingers twitched.

Knowing that she definitely would not be able to win in this battle, Lomadia frowned, unclasping her paws to reveal the frightened mouse.

"Aw, poor Honeydew." Sjin said, putting on a fake pout. Hearing Sjin's gentle voice caused Honeydew to become apparent of his surroundings. He opened his eyes, and suddenly he was no longer caged up in furry paws. He was free. He rushed past Sjin and into the nearest mouse hole, which was conveniently beside Rythian's door. Bye-bye to snack time.

"Cut Honeydew some slack, he's new. Jeez." Sjin sighed, shaking his head at the disappointed looking feline. But soon that disappointment was magically transformed into the famous wry smile.

"Sjin!" Ridgedog called from the nearby room. Sjin swallowed. Whatever this was going to turn out to be, it wasn't going to be good.

"Uh-um. Yes, Ridgedog." Quickly Sjin began to fast walk towards the end of the hallway. Lomadia bounced ahead of him, her mood making Sjin more nervous of what was going to happen to him.

Lalna and Rythian casually walked out of their father's quarter's standing on each side of Ridgedog's door. Sjin was immediately reminded of palace guards. Lomadia pranced on inside of Ridgedog's room, while Sjin stayed back. Of course he knew that Lalna and Rythian would say something.

"Hmm." Lalna said, sticking his nose up in the air, hands intertwined behind his back, swaying on his heels in his nightclothes. On the other side of the doorway, Rythian smiled the exact same wry smile that the cat usually had plastered on her face.

"You're screwed. You deserve it." Rythian snickered. Sjin only looked straight ahead, pretending not to listen to them. Holding his breath briefly, he stepped into the eerie darkness of the Demi-god's room, closing the door behind him as ordered.

The room was lit by the sun dawning in through the windows, highlighting just enough of the room so that Sjin could make out where Ridge's massive bed was placed.

"Come here," Ridge ordered. Sjin did not waste a second obeying, stepping forward, where the sunlight moved with him, highlighting Ridgedog's features. Lomadia jumped on Ridge's bed, prancing up to her owner and laying down beside him, the same wry smile on her face. You know, it never really leaves her, that smile. Ridgedog raised an arm, stroking the feline's long blonde hair, a disappointed frown on his face.

A moment of silence wavered around the room before Sjin cleared his throat, speaking up. "You- you don't think that I-I did-"

"Shut up for a minute, okay? Just shut it!" Ridge said fiercely, his tone sending Sjin to close his mouth almost immediately. You could hear the click of his teeth knocking together as he did so.

"It seems you have lots of time to do other things." Ridgedog said simply, moving his hand from Lomadia to the teacup that was left on his bedside table.

"But-"

"Shut. It." Sjin obeyed.

Ridge continued. "It seems you have time for making jokes. Your jokes aren't funny, Sjin. Maybe we should be using this time for something more useful, don't you agree?"

No. Please, no.

"Let's see what you can do… Oh yeah, the large carpet in the main hall. Clean it. Oh, and the windows upstairs and down, wash those, too. Ah, and the tapestries and draperies-"

"B-but I just finished-"

"Do them again, then. And the garden, and scrubbing the Terris, and sweeping the halls and stairs, clean the chimneys, and oh yeah! The mending and the sewing and the laundry… um…" Ridge sat there for a minute, sure he ran out of things for the servant to do… to make it look like he was some sort of professional, he took a long sip of his tea as he quickly thought. Bringing down the cup to its small plate, Ridge smiled deviously.

"Yeah, and um, Lomadia needs her bath."

Lomadia's eyes widened in horror. The last thing a cat needed was to be dumped in water, especially by Sjin!

Knowing the poor servant could never refuse Ridge's orders or else he would be living in some dirty hovel, Sjin nodded sadly, feeling so miserable he could cry.

"Yes, Ridgedog."

**X**

_Meanwhile, at the palace…_

"Oh, no, no, Sips_! You ain't gettin' away that easily!" Nilesy_ announced, though nobody was really in the room to respond to him. Well, nobody except his official assistant, Zoeya.

The king sat at his desk, in his massive room. It was so massive it echoed. What the king was referring to was the fact that his son, Prince Sips_, had been putting off his duties far too long.

"He's been putting off his jobs for way too long!" See? What did I tell you? "It's time he settled down- for the good of the kingdom, you know?"

Zoeya, who had found been sitting on the other side of his desk, simply nodded to the king, bowing as she did. "Of course! I totally agree!"

"I mean, it's not like we're getting any younger here! Jesus Christ…" The Scotsman sighed, sinking deep into the cushioned chair provided for his royal arse. "I'm so desperate I don't even care if it's a woman! They can adopt, right?" The slightest bit of desperation could be heard in the man's voice.

Zoeya, who knew about this kind of thing, nodded; now actually agreeing. "Totally! They can adopt! Might be what I'll do, your majesty!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's why I asked you… Besides, he's acting… different towards women these days… Sometimes I worry, you know?"

"Oh! Yeah, I understand."

"He's grown so distant…" Nilesy_ lets out a long sigh, intertwining his hands together as he rested his head back into the velvet cushion. "But, we need to get him married, that's for sure…"

"Ooh! May I say something, your majesty?"

"Yes, I suppose."

"He might not like your decision…"

"You don't think I know that?"

"Ah- He just likes to have a lot of fun around the palace, you know… I think he needs to find somebody his type- somebody who likes to do things the way he does!"

"So, what you're saying is that we should just let him find somebody on his own? I can't do that!"

"Yes- I know I'm just saying, sire…"

"Well, maybe… maybe we could arrange something that seems… casual?"

"Maybe. Oh! A Welcome Home party!"

"Zoey, you might be onto something there…" Nilesy_ stood, beginning to pace around his desk and chair, deep in thought. Zoeya followed close behind him. Moments passed as this routine became automatic to him, and finally…

Nilesy_ gasped, stopping in his tracks, holding up an index finger. Zoeya, squirming as an attempt to stop and not crash into her majesty. Nilesy_, with an excited smile upon his face, turned around to face his assistant.

"A ball, perhaps?"


	17. Sjinderella - Part 6

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 15**

**Sjinderella - Part 6**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

Every eligible woman.

Wow. That was a lot of women.

Nilesy_ also said men. Some ball this was going to be.

Zoeya made sure that she sent off the royal announcer off through the town, and that way everybody would be able to know of this grand ball. Now, she had to send the cleaners to get the ballroom prepared for the fantastic night.

The King's assistant sighed as she pranced through the hallway. She hoped that Prince Sips_ would be able to make his father proud. Make the kingdom proud.

**X**

"The pair shaped toll!" Ridge announced, tapping his hands gracefully on the piano, and pointing at Lalna to begin singing and for Rythian to ready his flute.

"_Oh, sing sweet nightingale,_

_Sing sweet nightingale_

_hiGHHHHHH Above meee…"_

The combination of Lalna's attempted good singing and Rythians clumsy flute playing was a catastrophe. Lomadia buried her head underneath the nearest throw pillow, wishing the horrible singing would just stop! The only thing good about the whole song was Ridgedog's piano playing. The flute playing and bad singing only got worse, and Lomadia was so close to just scratching there faces off, so she evacuated quickly, brushing through the half-open door and pressing against it fiercely with her back paw, shutting the door. Nobody wanted to hear dying whales any more. Once the feline had the door fully shut, something else caught her ear. She pranced to the staircase to see what was what.

There he was. Cleaning the floor with nothing but a bucket and a sponge. Occasionally he would sing to the same song the brothers were 'singing,' and most of the time he would just hum. But when he sung, when he actually tried… it sounded way better than those idiots upstairs.

Sneaking down the stairway, Lomadia noticed a broom and dustpan laying casually on the last step. This gave her an idea, and the wry smile covered over the sheer horrified face that was plastered on earlier. Reaching the bottom of the endless staircase, Lomadia gracefully dipped her paws in the pile of dust in the dustpan, glaring over at Sjin as she did.

Timing the moment just right, making sure Sjin had his eyes on her, Lomadia jumped onto the floor, all four of her paws staining the recently cleaned floor as she jumped all around Sjin.

"No! Lomadia!" Sjin cried, reaching out to catch the cat. He used to like cats, but soon after meeting Lomadia, he wasn't too fond of them anymore. Unsuccessful to catch Lomadia, who now perched back up on the last step, grinning deviously, Sjin sighed, glaring back.

"Damn cat." Sjin spat, throwing down his sponge, preparing to chase her. Lomadia, who noticed his standing, began to scramble away from him, 'accidentally' pushing over the dust pan and what was left of it inside. Sjin growled, stomping up to the staircase and grabbing the nearby broom, holding it up.

"I'll just give you a piece of my-"

Knocking on the main doors stopped Sjin in his tracks, sending his gaze to the large doors that towered over him.

"Open in the name of King Nilesy_!" A voice announced.

Having no choice but to leave Lomadia safe (for then, anyhow) and answer the door, Sjin swore lightly under his breath, calming his stride as he walked and taking a deep breath before pulling on the bronze door handle.

A scrawny, short red-haired man (or even boy, you could barely tell) with a large message bag that was even larger than him stood at the front steps, small chest puffed out and head up high. Swiftly, as if he had lots of practice with this sort of job, he grabbed onto a protruding letter that stuck out from the bag, handing it to Sjin, who had to crane his neck a certain way in order to see the small man.

"An urgent message from His Imperial Majesty." The man-boy announced.

"Oh! Uh, really? Oh, thank you." Sjin said, giving an awkward bow to the royal employee before shutting the door fully.

"What's it for, Sjin?" Xephos asked, coming out of a hole in a nearby wall, Honeydew in tow. No way was Xephos going to let the new guy wander off. The two mice padded over to Sjin's feet, which stopped directly before the two.

"Not sure- said it's urgent though so it's something important!" Sjin nodded, flipping the letter around in his hands.

Something that sounded awfully resembling to a dying cow screeched through the estate, causing both mice and the servant to cringe in horror.

"What do you think guys? Interrupt the 'music lesson'?"

"_Please." _Honeydew pleaded, causing both Xephos and Sjin to giggle.

"Alright," Forgetting about the mess the damn feline had caused, Sjin progressed upstairs.

**X**

"_Sing sweet nightingale_

_Sing sweet nightingale-"_

Rythian's flute playing had been off, anybody could tell, but it became even worse when his finger got stuck in one of the holes. He attempted to shake it out, but Lalna had progressed more closer to him than he had started out, and now the bottom of his chin jerked up and down with each fight Rythian attempted to win in order to still have all ten fingers.

"_H-i-i-i-i-igh-!"_

Finally, Rythian's finger caught loose, and he was about to continue the tune, only to have Lalna snatch the instrument out of his hands, thumping him on the head with it.

"Asshole! You did that on purpose to make me mess up! It was going so well!"

"Oh, really? If you're singing wasn't in this damn song we would have it good! You sound like a fu-"

"Boys!" Ridgedog boomed, sending the two brothers to an end. "Maintain yourselves, Jesus!"

Knocking on the door. Why the hell was there knocking on their door when there simply should not be! Ridgedog had made it a simple rule not to be interrupted during their lesson. Frustration taking over, her pounded harshly onto the keys of the piano.

"What!"

Sjin entered the door clicking softly as he did.

Ridge stood. "I thought I told you not to interrupt!"

Sjin waved the letter up in his hands. "Um- this-this arrived from the palace."

Both Rythian and Lalna gasped. They looked at each other for a moment, giddy looks on there faces as if they had just been informed that Shadow of Israphel Episode 43 had arrived. They ran over to Sjin, yelling "From the palace!" over and over again.

Rudely, they snatched the letter from Sjin's grasp, fighting over who would read it first. Then, finally, Ridge snatched it from all three of their grasps, clearing his throat and opening it himself. He quickly scanned over the written letter, eyes widening with each word.

"There's a ball happening, guys!" He finally announced. "In honour of His Highness, the Prince! And, by royal command, every eligible man and woman are to attend!"

Lalna smirked. "That's us!"

Sjin beamed at this. "Hey! I can go, too!"

Lalna and Rythian looked at each other before bursting out laughing.

"Oh my, God! Him! And the Prince!" Rythian gasped between breaths.

"I'd be honoured, Prince! Would you mind holding the dustpan for a moment whilst I sweep the floors?" Lalna mocked, thrusting out the flute he had snatched earlier and giving it to Rythian, who laughed harder. The two laughed in unison, imagining this.

Sjin held his breath for a moment. This is what happened on a regular day sometimes, but something told him he should stand up for himself. He walked forward towards the two, head held high.

"Why not, though? I'm still part of this family!" Sjin protested, though he was surprisingly able to maintain getting his voice high. "And it does say that everybody eligible is to attend!" Sjin continued.

Ridgedog thought this over for a moment, looking at the letter, then back to Sjin. All his facts were definitely valid, and he had no way of siding against them.

"Yeah, I guess your right." He smirked, knowing he'd somehow get something planned in order for the servant not to go. "I don't see why you can't."

Lalna and Rythian, who had stopped fooling around by then, both had their mouths agape, staring at their father in shock. Since when was he turning nice to Sjin?

"If you get all your work done then you can come, Sjin." Ridge nodded.

"Oh! You bet your sweet ass I will!" Sjin said, jumping for joy before moving to scamper out and get his work done so fast you wouldn't even know there had been work to do.

"And if you can find something suitable to wear!" Ridge added, sending Sjin to stop and turn. Now, this might be a problem. A suit would be good for him, but unfortunately they had only supplied him with dresses… Lalna and Rythian snickered at this. But, all in all, this was a once in a lifetime thing, so you had to stay positive. Surely he could get his mice friends to help, right? Right.

What he didn't know was that Honeydew and Xephos had been listening the whole time, and had left once again through another mouse hole, planning to gather as much mice as they could to make Sjin's night possible.

"Oh, I'm very sure I can find something! Thank you, Ridgedog!"


	18. Sjinderella - Part 7

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 16**

**Sjinderella - Part 7**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

Sjin stumbled through the attic doors, closing it sloppily behind him. He rushed to his chest, where random clothes lay. If he recalled, his father's suit should have been in there somewhere…

Sure enough, Sjin's father's black tux was folded and tucked away in the bottom neatly. He brought it out, knowing it would fit him now. He had tried it on in the past; of course that was when he was seven. But now he was sure it would fit! It was slightly bland, not really too modern, but Sjin would make it work! He gracefully spun around with the coat, falling onto the floor and giggling mad like a teenage girl about to go on her first ever date.

"Aw, guys! I'm so excited! Doesn't this suit look good?"

A female mouse, as well as three others stood on a nearby shelf, observing the old thing. One mouse spoke up. "It looks okay, but it's kind of old…"

Sjin placed the tux jacket up on a coat hanger, which was attached to a nail that jutted out of the wall. He cocked his head to the side, squinting. "Well, I agree, it is quite old. I'm pretty sure I can make it work though, right?" He stood there for a few moments, looking at the pants, the white undershirt, and the jacket. Shrugging, he stripped down and changed into the pants, the shirt, and the tux. The pants felt different, a whole new sensation you could say. They never really wanted him to wear anything masculine, Lalna, Rythian, and Ridge. They told him when he asked why that he looked too feminine. This made no sense to poor Sjin at the time, him having a full grown beard and moustache. He thought he was quite masculine, but the men had messed with him so much that at times he started to believe that he was indeed quite feminine. But not then. He would show them later that night that he looked good in a tux and he was a man!

In his vanity, he looked at himself, noticing that the sleeves of both the shirt and the jacket were quite long. He made a note to hem them when he fixed the others laundry and such. Other than that, the suit looked quite good on him, he decided, taking a few steps back. As he took a few steps back, he stepped on something, causing him to yelp and topple over. Checking the floor to see what had caused his fall, he noticed that the pant legs were far too long, and he had stupidly tripped over them. He also made a mental note to hem the legs as well. Looking at his pants he was also reminded to check for his fathers old shoes. Now those he knew he would fit into for sure.

Xephos and Honeydew, who came over from talking to some other female mice, observed the poor bearded man, eyeing his clothes and wondering if it would all actually work out.

"This can be fixed, right?" Sjin said, looking over at the two mice, holding up one leg, which the pant leg covered up, and both of his arms, which had the sleeves dangling over his hands.

Xephos cringed for a brief second before nodding. "Uh- oh, yes, of course, Sjin! You'll be able to fix that and look totally fine!" He waved his hands out, reassuring the desperate servant that everything would indeed be fine.

"I mean, I'll just-"

"SJIN!" Frantic yelling coming from a bottom floor caused Sjin to jump up from his sitting position and begin changing back into his work clothes. He set down his suit on the bed, laying it out nicely.

"I wonder what they need now." Sjin sighed, before walking out downstairs into hell once again.

Watching as the servant walked out, leaving the door open just slightly, Xephos sighed. He could only feel bad for the poor man, being forced to slave over three men who had came into his life when he was just young.

"He just is not going to have enough time to fix up his outfit, is he?" Xephos said, looking over at the bed where the pant legs dangled from.

"Jesus Christ- how tall and stately was his father?" Honeydew marvelled, eyeing the suit as well. Xephos gave a small laugh, but turned serious once again.

"Yeah, but seriously, man." Xephos looked to the ground, absorbed into thoughts for moments before snapping his small head back up again, an idea on the brain. "Hey! How about we fix his suit for him!"

Honeydew looked to his friend and shrugged. "I don't see why not!"

More mice had filed in, intrigued by the plan. Quickly, Honeydew and Xephos pranced over to the basket full of thread and needles. Their small hands at the ready, they looked to each other.

"Um, do you know how to hem things?"

"No?"

"Step aside, mice!" A female mouse exclaimed, shoving them over and grabbing the needle and thread herself. "You go handle measuring tape and scissors. You can handle that, right?"

"Oh, totally!" Xephos beamed, running off, followed by Honeydew.

With a battle cry, Honeydew lifted up the scissors high over his head; beginning to walk around with them to the spot they were needed. His eyes landed on Xephos, and then he got an idea.

"I'm going to get you!" Honeydew cried, dashing after Xephos, who carried the measuring tape and was trying to get away from the mouse, who laughed maniacally and opened and closed the scissors as they chased each other around.

Eventually though, as they left the others to hem the suit, the two took a dive into the old chest, searching for the old pair of shoes. Once they had found them, Honeydew had used his big strong dwarf- I mean, mouse- muscles to lift them up and out of the chest. Soon, the mice had finished there jobs, and had placed out the suit all nice and neat for Sjin to come into his room to.

Now they only had to wait.

**X**

The grand clock of the town struck eight times, letting the town know that the ball was coming up very quickly. Outside the grand palace, horses guided carriages to the entrance, where both women and men would strut out, wearing there best clothes that would be deemed okay by the royals.

Outside of the Ridgedog Estate, a horse and buggy awaited for the four men. Through an upstairs window, with a broom in hand, Sjin looked down at the carriage, depression hitting him like a ton of bricks. The three men had worked him overtime, and he was no fool to see that they had gave him all that work so he would not be able to go to the grand ball. Sighing, he walked up to Ridgedog's room, where all three men had been getting ready for the last two hours. He rattled his knuckles against the thick mahogany wood that built up the doors.

"Carriage is here." He said, though he just could not be bothered to put on an upbeat sounding voice.

Ridgedog opened the door, nodding to Sjin, who almost immediately turned to walk away quickly. Ridge smirked.

"Hey, you're not ready!"

"I'm not going." Sjin said flatly, admitting it to himself finally. He wasn't going. That was just how it was.

"Oh, what a shame. Of course, though, other balls will be ava-"

"Yes. Good night," Sjin said simply, not wanting to hear anymore from him or Lalna or Rythian.

As Sjin walked away, behind Ridgedog, Lalna and Rythian looked to each other and snickered.

**X**

"What's a stupid ball to me, anyways?" Sjin said, trying his best to console himself as he entered his room, shutting the door behind him. He walked towards the window, watching as the palace lit up in the moonlight that cast over the town. He rested his hand on his hands and sighed.

Just then, a light formed behind him, causing him to turn around and gasp.

Why, it was the suit! All hemmed up and looking very dapper as hell. It lay on the bed, the shoes sitting at the end of the bed with it. All around him, mice shouted out the word "Surprise!" making Sjin beam. He pranced over to the finished suit, taking it off of the bed and jumping with glee.

"Oh my, God, you guys did this for me?! How can I ever thank you!"

"Going to the damn ball, that's how." Honeydew said, gesturing to the suit. "Quickly, now!"

Sjin, phased out for a moment, shook his head and quickly began throwing off the dress and stepping into the suit.

**X**

Three pairs of shoes clapped against the freshly cleaned main floor as Ridge, Lalna, and Rythian stepped down in there best suits. Everything was going according to plan.

"Now, remember, when you're presented to His Highness be sure to-"

"Wait!" Sjin said, standing before them at the top step, quickly stepping down to them. His suit fit perfectly now- the pant legs didn't reach the floor, and the sleeves of both his shirt and his jacket did not dangle down to his waist like he was seven no longer! He stopped before the three, who all had shocked faces painted on there heads.

"No! You can't! Father! He cannot!" Rythian began shouting. Lalna soon joined in, tugging at Ridge's arm repeatedly and Rythian stomping his feet. Now who were the seven year olds?

"Guys, shut it!" Ridge yelled, putting his hands out. Lalna and Rythian obeyed, putting there hands to their sides and there feet firmly on the ground.

"Now, we did have a deal," Ridge said, nodding towards Sjin, "didn't we, Sjin?"

The servant could only beam with pride. That is, until Ridge dog progressed towards him, eyeing his suit.

"How very clever of you," Ridge said, now inches away from Sjin's face, eyeing up the coat he had on. "This is a handsome look, don't you think, Rythian?" Ridgedog looked over to his oldest son, his one eyebrow raised as he winked. Rythian, soon catching on, did a fake-gasp. He pointed over to Sjin, his shocked face soon turning into a frown.

"That's my coat, dumbass!" Rythian growled, stomping right over and grabbing at the collar, giving it a firm tug. The coat made a satisfying ripping sound, and the coat now missed an arm.

"Hey, wait! No!" Sjin cried, watching Lalna stomp over and yank at his pants, ripping them off as well. Soon, the two became monsters, yanking and tearing fiercely at his clothes, giving no reason whatsoever. Soon, Sjin was down to half of a shirt and shorts.

"Boys, boys!" Ridge finally yelled, opening the door and gesturing outside. "That's enough. Get out into the carriage, if you will." Ridge nodded, walking out on his own. Lalna and Rythian stood back to look at the scene, smirking deviously as Sjin held back threatening tears.

"Don't worry, Sjin. We're just helping you. You looked better in a dress, anyways." Lalna snickered before happily skipping out, followed by Rythian who only could laugh.

The door slammed.

Sjin sobbed, wiping at his eyes before dashing outside, into the faraway garden that Sjin and his father used to visit at frequently. A cement bench was nearby and there he sat and sobbed.


	19. Sjinderella - Part 8

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 17**

**Sjinderella - Part 8**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

Tiny sparkles formed around the abandoned garden, barely the size of small flies. They evolved into much larger forms, catching the horse in the barn's eye, the canine's attention, and the mice that gathered a few feet away from where Sjin wept. The sparks of light drifted towards the servant, collecting each other to form a human figure! Dressed in a red and gold-hemmed dress, a vibrant red flower styled in her hair, she sat crossed-legged beside Sjin, who had yet to notice her presence. Feeling concerned for the bearded man, she pressed a hand to his shoulder, giving it an awkward pat.

"Aw, don't cry, Sjin! Things will get better now that I'm around!" She said proudly, causing Sjin to cry out in surprise, standing up and backing away from the sudden woman that was in the Estate.

"Who-who are you?!" He asked, quickly wiping away his stray tears. He wouldn't want the random person to think he was a wimp, would he?

At this question, the woman jumped onto her two feet, putting her hands on her hips and looking into the moonlight. It seemed she was supposedly posing in a super-hero-like way.

"I am NanoSounds, your fairy-godmother! But, um… you can call me Kim." She shrugged, losing her pose in the midst of her speech. "Now, we don't have time for explanations, Sjin! We have to hurry if we're going to get you to the ball-"

"But, I can't go to the ball! I'm not-"

"God, Sjin! You're so negative! Now, where did I put my wand…" Kim began searching her pockets, mumbling suggestions to herself about where it might be. When she had no luck searching herself, she stomped her foot into the soil, sighing. Shortly after, her eyes widened in realization.

"How could I have been so stupid?" She nervously laughed at herself, putting out a hand in mid-air, her fingers fixed to look as if she was holding a sort of baton. She moved her hand downwards, and the tiny sparkles that brought her to Sjin formed around her hand, forming her small white wand. Sjin stared, mouth agape.

"So, wait- you're for real?"

"Yep!" Kim nodded. "Now, let's see…" Kim put one hand to her chin, looking Sjin up and down. "First thing you'll need is some type of transportation… Ah! A pumpkin will do!"

Sjin, who had been hoping to get a new suit on him, shot the godmother a confused look. "A-a what?"

Kim looked past Sjin, to a rotted pumpkin patch that had not been cared for in what looked like years. A giant rotted pumpkin laid in the center, making Kim smirk.

"Yeah! Um… oh no… what were the words… how to… uh… Oh! I got it!" Soon after 'getting it,' Kim began to prance around happily, waving her wand in the pumpkin's direction.

"_Sala-kado, la mincha ka-boo_

_La bippity-boppidy-boo!"_

Sparks flew off the wand, travelling to the pumpkin. The pumpkin almost instantly returned to a healthy state, then came out of the ground, using its roots to walk towards the two. Sjin flinched, not sure if he was dreaming or delusional.

"It'll do magic, believe it or not! Bippity-boppidy-boo!" Kim sang, giving Sjin a look that said _Didn't you know? Random words create magic!_ Continuing to wave her wand, she continued to sing.

"_Sala-kadoo-la me,_

_La mincha ka-boo, la roo!_

_And the thing-a-ma-bob_

_That does the job_

_Is bippidy-boppidy-boo!"_

The vines connected to the pumpkin stretched out, turning into wheels as the pumpkin transformed into an even bigger carriage. It was no longer the original pumpkin colour, but it was a pure white-blue shade. Sjin gasped in amazement.

"I-it's beautiful!" He exclaimed, hearing the mice down below squeak in agreement. The horse had walked up, getting a closer look at the thing.

"Yeah, it's great! Good job, me!" Kim grinned, looking over to the horse who stood next to her. Her eyes widened as another idea came to mind. "Oh-! We need horses! How else are you going to get there? Let's see… hmm…" Kim observed the animals around, figuring she needed about four.

And then she spotted them, four mice watching her with their mouths agape and their eyes wide. She smirked.

"Mice!"

This word caused the four mice around her to jump in surprise. Them? Be used as… horses?

"Oh, no…" Honeydew and Xephos whispered in unison. As the two others ran towards Kim, they stepped back into the darkness. They watched as there two friends transformed into two pure-bred white horses, attached to reins. They didn't want that to happen to them!

"Huh… I was sure there was four…" The two mice gulped loudly, causing Kim's neck to snap towards the noise. "Aha!" With a wave of her wand, she casted the spell upon them, turning them into the same horses. They walked out of the darkness, stumbling on four legs.

Soon, Kim also had the horse itself turned into the man who took control of the horses. He sat up on the bench provided, smiling wide.

"Well, I think that's everything… everything except you!" Kim beamed, waving her wand and casting sparkles-

-past Sjin and towards Parv, who turned into the footman. Kim sighed contently, wiping off her hands as if she had done some immense dirty work. She gestured to the open carriage, looking at Sjin.

"Quick, Sjin get in!"

"But, Kim, I-"

"There's no need to thank me, Sjin!"

"Well, I am very thankful, of course, but- what about my… suit?"

"Yeah, I mean it looks- Oh my God! Sjin! Why didn't you tell me about this before?!" Kim said, a worried crease in her forehead. Sjin could only face palm.

"Oh, no time for that to be answered… let's see here…" Kim quickly walked around Sjin, imagining what would be good on him. When she had a good enough idea in her head, she nodded then clapped.

"This is gonna look awesome!" Receiving her spell, she flicked her wand around a few times before aiming it towards Sjin. Sjin closed his eyes tight, imagining him in the best tailored-suit possible. But when he opened his eyes…

Sjin bearded a blue-white sparkling DRESS, with the same shade of gloves, and… what was the smooth texture on his feet? Very carefully- carved glass? And, why did his chin and mouth feel so… clean? Empty? Lonely? Sjin ran his hand through his beard- which was now non-existent. He squeaked in horror.

"Oh…" Kim said, looking slightly disappointed with herself. "What…"

"No!" Sjin cried, grabbing the dresses fabric and swaying it around. "What have you done?! All my life I've been stuck in a dress, and tonight I thought it was going to be different! And my beard is gone!"

"I-I'm sorry, Sjin! My wand must have messed up! Look- I'll try and fix it quick!" Kim began to wave her wand, only this time no sparkles emitted from it. This only made Kim frown and laugh nervously.

"My wand power is down…" She reached for her pocket watch in one of her pockets. The ball was starting in just minutes!

"Look- Sjin- you HAVE to go! But, you know, on the bright side, your household won't recognise you because your beard is gone! Okay- you really have to go!" Quickly, before Sjin could protest (which he still tried to do anyways), Kim shoved Sjin into the carriage, waving him off. The footman jumped on board with the rein handler, and they set off.


	20. Sjinderella - Part 9

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 18**

**Sjinderella - Part 9**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

_WARNING: Swearing courtesy of The Guy. The Best Guy._

_What a boring night! The lousy orchestra music is giving me a headache, my father has unexpectedly planned a ball without giving me even a 12 hours' notice, and he's making me bow to all these women- and men! Does he not know what too much bowing could do to my back? Jesus Christ…_

I forced another smile as the next set of ladies walked over. They were both wearing these dresses that made them look like walking cupcakes. Mmm, cupcakes… I could go for some cupcakes, actually. I haven't exactly ate. A couple of hours ago, when I could have been eating, I was being fit for my nice party suit!

I shook my head, throwing these thoughts out of my mind. I couldn't get myself all riled up over this, not again. I put my hand in front of my stomach, giving a bow to the two Cupcakes. I watched as they walked off to the buffet table. Uh, lucky bastards. Dinner and dessert was set out, and a giant turkey was calling my name.

My stomach growled, and I awkwardly patted my belly. Did my dad not understand that some people needed to EAT for God's sake? Oh, man, I am just raging…

"Your majesty." I snapped my neck back to see three men standing before me. Jesus Christ, this was insane! One of them was wearing a mask, the other a pair of goggles, and the other had, like, a creepy smile as if he was going to, like, smother me with a pillow in my sleep later that night. I would have burst out laughing right then and there, because ho-ly shit. They were a bunch a freaks! My smile was an amused one, but at least it wasn't fake! I bowed, watching them walk- no, wait, they sashayed! Oh my God! Ha!- over to the buffet table. Man, was everybody just as hungry as me? Maybe I should ask the next person to get me some food… maybe some turkey…

Just as the next person came walking up, I noticed the ballroom doors open up, and in walked this… oh my God… Holy shit! A man in a dress! I wasn't the only one who turned my head to him, either. All the people in the ballroom practically followed my lead. Some snickered, some laughed. With the people laughing around me, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I burst out in hysterics, my laugh echoing off the walls loud enough to turn everybody's attention on me. But I didn't care, this was now officially the best ball I've ever been to! Oh, man, did I have to see this guy…

I broke away from my place, feeling my dad's cold glare on my back. He was silently beckoning me to return to my post, but I didn't care. This guy was like the black sheep of the ball! I just had to take a quick look…

I approached the man cautiously, who seemed to be wide-eyed and fearful.

**X**

The moment when I walked in, I knew I should have just turned around and walked out. But then, everybody was staring at me- including the Prince himself! Oh, it was so embarrassing. But I felt like I couldn't back out. Suddenly, Prince Sips_' laughter filled the joint, and he had easily ignored the people he was supposed to bow to, walking towards… me?! Oh, no. No! I had to leave. I attempted to move, but my feet wouldn't let me! I was glued to the floor, almost! Finally, the Prince approached me, stopping a foot away. He noticed my look, and for a moment, his smile disappeared.

Prince Sips_ was definitely not how I expected him to look- at all! Instead of this fair-skinned, perfectly-carved face with brown shiny hair, he bearded black hair, grey skin, and a rather droopy face. For some reason, though, it didn't feel like a disappointment! One, I had met the Prince, and two, he had walked up to me first! Me!

"I get these stares all the time, don't sweat it." He whispered, making me plead that nobody could actually hear him. People were snickering all around us, and I shifted uncomfortably.

He took a step closer, causing me to squeak softly. People closest to us snickered lightly, and I felt my cheeks turn hot. The Prince seemed amused by this, because his lips twitched slightly.

"Come with me, let's get the hell outta here." He winked, linking arms with me. I bit my lip, nodding. Prince Sips_ nodded, looking around the ballroom.

"Ladies, Gentlemen. It was lovely- well, not lovely. More like boring. Yeah, it was boring to meet you all!" He turned back to me, whispering in my ear "Come on, quickly!" He began to move fast, causing me to stumble slightly before grabbing my dress and hiking it up away from my feet.

"_Sips_! You get back here!"_ The door closing blocked out King Nilesy_'s loud yelling, and suddenly it was peaceful.

**X**

"So," The Prince turned to face Sjin, a smirk plastered to his face. "Can I ask what's with the dress?"

Sjin would have answered quickly, but he was a little phased after what had just happened.

Realizing that the Prince himself had asked him a question, he shook his head. "Eh? Oh, oh! Um… it's- um… it's kind of a long story…. Your-your majesty." Sjin wasn't too sure whether to bow or curtsy. The Prince seemed annoyed by his answer. He waved a hand by his side.

"Just call me Sips_. I hate being called that 'your majesty' bullshit."

"Y-yes, your- I mean! S-Sips_." Hearing himself stutter, Sjin blushed, causing Sips_ to burst out laughing again.

"Oh, man, you crack me up. Listen, I don't give two shits about balls or dancing and all that crap, so will you do me a favour?"

"Oh! Yes, Sips_!"

"Can we just pretend we're two normal fucking people? I mean, come on! I'm sick of all this royalty bullcrap!"

"O-okay, well… sure."

"Alright," Sips_ sighed, glad to get a bit of his inner-anger off his chest. "Hey, thanks, man… or, woman…" He cracked up again. "I'm sorry, it's just… oh man."

It seemed that Sips_ laughter was contagious to Sjin, and he began laughing as well. They seemed to laugh their guts out in front of the doors, and finally it died down.

"Oh, man," Sips_ sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Wanna take a walk?"

Sjin nodded, and as if it was a casual thing, Sips_ threw an arm around his new freak-friend.

"So, people give you stares?" Sjin asked, curious on the subject.

"Ah, well… yeah. I mean, I don't really talk about it that much… I don't really have anybody to talk to about it…"

Sjin piped up. "Well, you know… you could talk to me, Sips_."

Sips nodded. "Well, it all started when I was born, basically…"

**X**

This mysterious woah-man (this is what I've chosen to call him, considering I did not know his name) was a really good listener! All my complaints about the staring, my sexuality, my family, and royalty all spilled out onto the floor, and this guy mopped it all up. And I could tell he actually listened, too. Each time I looked at him, he stared back up at me with those big blue eyes.

"I mean, sometimes, I think that people come to events like this only because I'm available to marry and the fact that there's royalty and money involved… Well, why did you come here tonight?"

He ran his gloved hand through the water fountain (which so far we have passed like 7 flipping times, my God!), seeming to be mesmerized by the ripples he had created in the still water. The moonlight made it sparkle, and I did have to admit that it looked fucking marvelous.

"I, uh… I've never been to a ball… I wanted to see what it was like… plus! It did say every eligible man and woman is to attend…"

I should have known. For some stupid reason I thought that he had actually come to see me. No, he came to come to a ball.

"Oh…" I took him to a nearby bench where we both sat down, my arm still around him. Though it seemed stupid, I had taken quite a liking to this son of a bitch. Suddenly he piped up again, looking up to me.

"B-but I have to say, meeting the Prince was unexpected! It is an honor!" He gave a smile.

"Yeah, well…" I shrugged, raising my eyebrow at him. "I am the best guy to meet." He giggled at this, and I smiled at the sound of his laughter.

"So, if you didn't actually come here to meet me… and you're talking to me like a normal person right now… does that mean you actually like me for me instead of my money? Not like I'm saying you LIKE me but…" I scratched my head awkwardly. This conversation had turned into something one 3rd grader would say to the other. He must have noticed my awkwardness, because he began to giggle.

"Well, I knew you were going to be here… but I didn't know you were going to walk up to me! But, this whole night has honestly been better than I thought it was. I don't know how to dance! So, I guess, yes, I do like you for... you know, you."

For a moment we smiled at each other, and then I looked to the moon. "God, it's like we're in that fucking kiddie movie? What's it called? Cinderella? Oh man, how does that song go? _So this is love…. Mother fuckers!"_

The woah-man wheeze-laughed and hit me on the arm. "Sips_! That's not how it goes!"


	21. Sjinderella - Part 10

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 19**

**Sjinderella - Part 10**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

The night had been amazing. Instead of dancing, I was with the Prince! We had spent the evening together, him talking and me listening. I didn't mind listening to his ranting. I was fascinated in learning about his way of life, you know, royal-style. He told me about how everybody thought he looked weird just because of his completion, and that they had only come here because of the fact they could marry for royalty and money. He told of the fact that the King had planned this ball only for him to meet a lovely person to marry. He also told me that the King had said 'woman' but also included 'man'. This brought Sips_ to talk about his dad being confused about his sexuality. This brought Sips_ to talk about sexuality in general.

Through the course of the night, I had listened thoroughly. When there were small pauses I did put in my opinion, and he had listened to it as well. He told me I had good points to it all. When he spoke about his complexion not being what royals should have, I had told him that was insane and you couldn't judge people by their complexion.

"Why are you here with me then?" He had grumbled.

"Because… I-I happen to like your personality…" I had stammered. I had sworn I spotted a hint of a blush on his face.

"Honestly…?"

"Uh-huh."

By that time we both shared a blush and refused to meet each other's gazes.

Now, with our expensive fabric of our clothes touching a shit- covered bench, we looked at the stars in the sky, and Sips_ had brought back the conversation topic of sexuality. Though I still heard word for word of what he was speaking to me, my vision was transfixed onto the stars that shined brightly throughout the sky. My hearing became even more apparent to his voice when he asked me a certain awkward question.

"What about you, man? Who are you into?"

The question had caused my cheeks to burn and my head to quickly shout out answers. Did I know my sexuality? It wasn't something I usually got to experiment with, considering I never really left the house except for groceries and things we needed around the house…

But maybe it ran in the family? Did something like that run in the family? I wasn't sure… I looked at Sips_, thinking hard about this answer. He stared back at me with his small brown eyes. Though his shockingly pale expression was slightly frightening, you could see past all that when you actually talked to him and saw his eyes…

"I-I honestly don't know… S-Sips_" I couldn't tear my eyes from his. They were stars to me, his stars… The reflection of the night cast over them, and it was like he had his own two small planetariums in his head.

Sips_ smirked at me, shuffling closer on the bench we were perched on. "Really? Have you, like, experimented…?"

"N-no…"

"Hmm…" He inched closer again, and I could just barely feel his misty breath on my face. Something warm touched my hand in that moment as we gazed. I didn't want to look down, but I had a feeling of what it was.

Sips_ hand.

Did the Prince have an interest for the servant? This was surely a plot twist…

My heart began to thump loudly, and I realised that the Prince's face was gradually making its way closer to mine. With each progression, his breath became hotter, and each time his breath hit me I swore my heart jumped. And then finally…

Our lips touched. It was like a whole new sensation. My heart felt as if it might pound out of my chest and into Sips_ lap. My hands hesitantly went to his shoulders as his moved their way to my waist- which was difficult to find in this dress. We kissed for a while before Sips_ began to kiss my jawline, and then progressed to my neck. My eyes wandered, feeling slightly dazed. My eyes whirled to the clock, and I gasped.

"It's- it's 11:57!" I breathed. Sips_ only grumbled in response, sucking on my neck lightly.

But I was top panicked to do anything with Sips_ now. I only had three minutes to escape the castle, or else everything will turn to ugliness…

I broke away from the trance, standing up and gaining a confused look from the Prince. I felt bad leaving him with that look, but I couldn't do anything else. "I-I have to go-!"

Sips_ stood with me, "what? But you, like, just… oh, man? Was it because of me? Look, I-"

"No, no! I have to go-" The bigger hand on the clock clicked forwards. It was then 11:58. "L-look, I'm really sorry Sips_!" I hiked up my dress, turning around and beginning to rush out. It was difficult to ignore Sips_ voice, beckoning me back, but I knew what I had to do. No way was Sips_ going to like me when he realized who I really was!

"But- I don't even know your name!" Sips_ yelled, and I noticed his voice was closer that time. Had he been chasing me this whole time? I quickly made my way down the fine stone steps, barely noticing the fact that somehow after reaching the bottom of that staircase, my footing was unbalanced and I felt each cold step with only one foot.

It was usually an automatic response to look back and grab my shoe- but I knew that I had very little time. I saw my carriage in the distance- now all I had to do was run my life away. My leg muscles burning, I pranced down more stairs and jumped into the open door of the carriage, ripping the fabric of my silk dress from the door that closed milliseconds after I got in.

"Quickly!" I yelled, the panic in my voice could clearly be recognized. I was thrown back in my seat as the carriage zoomed away from the palace, away from the guards, away from Sips_.

**X**

Something told me we wouldn't get there fast enough. There had only been like one minute left when I got to the carriage I thought. Out of the guards reach, we were down the dirt road, and that's when it happened.

I had been staring out the window that was encompassed with small dark blue vines, when I realized my dress no longer felt… nice, clean… expensive.

I glanced down, noticing my dress had become my ragged suit again. This began to panic me, and I looked outside. The horses and two others seemed alright, but the carriage. Oh my God, it was turning a bright vivid orange! It started from the vines, turning them back to their rotten green state, then it moved out through the whole pumpkin, the vivid orange darkening quickly. As I stared in awe, the sounds of Parv barking and horses neighing were heard outside.

I watched four small brown figures bust through the open chunk of the pumpkin. Honeydew and Xephos ran over to me, sitting themselves on my lap.

"Hey, are you okay?" Xephos squeaked. I smiled down at the two. Despite the spell breaking before we got home, I had a fantastic night.

I watched as Honeydew looked around, then I heard a small gasp escape from his small body. "Look! You still have the slipper!"

I blinked. But, I thought that… everything was supposed to disappear, right? Honeydew was just tugging on my leg, right? I stretched out my foot, and my mouth fell open slightly. Sure enough, my left foot was still parading around in those darn glass slippers.

"Looks like Kim wanted you to have something to remember the night by." Xephos grinned, watching as I carefully removed the shoe from my foot. The usual women's shoes I had to wear during work caused my feet to be sore, but these fit perfectly and left no bruises or marks of any kind anywhere. I stood up, finding my way out of the rotted pumpkin that frankly did smell horrible, and looked up to the sky. I gasped in wonder, watching as a sudden shooting star cast over the moonlit sky. It seemed to sparkle in a way others didn't. It reminded me of Kim and her wand.

"Thanks, Kim!" I waved to the star. Moments after I swore that I could hear her wild laughter. I sighed contently, looking around to all the animals surrounding me.

"C'mon, guys. Let's go home before they see I'm not there." I ran my hand around the smooth surface of the glass, closing my eyes for just a moment.

_Thank you. Thank you for everything._


	22. Sjinderella - Part 11

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 20**

**Sjinderella - Part 11**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

_Again, Swearing courtesy of… well, you'll see._

Ridgedog wasn't stupid, and neither were Lalna and Rythian. It didn't take long for them to figure out that morning that Sjin was… different… happy different. Which was very peculiar for somebody who worked in the Ridgedog Estate. Throughout the whole day, he had been seen humming and… the occasional dancing… and his smile did not seem pained when they all threw laundry in his face.

**X**

The ball had gone a total disaster. The Prince left with some… man in a dress. Ridgedog remembered it all too well. The man was freshly shaved and fairly small in this… just, giant poof-ball dress he wore. The straps hung loosely on his shoulders and the chest-part hung out inches away from his skin. And who was the first one to laugh? Prince Sips_ himself! In fact, he had toke a liking to the new man so much, he left his stand and walked right up to him. The laughter had gotten to everybody in the room, all except Ridge, Lalna, and Rythian. They had scrunched up their faces in disbelief. At first they couldn't believe it… but then anger covered up the disbelief, and they were ready to prance. Even without the beard, they all knew it was Sjin. The three watched as they walked off out the doors, and then their heads all snapped to King Nilesy_ and his outbursts to his son. After they had left, over the microphone, Nilesy_ nervously giggled.

"Uh, sorry, folks, looks like my son has chosen to go his own way… But, please! Enjoy the ball, he might be back soon!" Ridge had watched closely as Nilesy_ leaned over to whisper to his red-head assistant. She had nodded almost immediately, but then jumped, and whispered back to him. Nilesy_'s sigh travelled through the microphone and through the silent ballroom. He jumped at hearing his own voice, and looked over the people who still stared at him like pelicans wanting food.

"What are you all standing like that for? Get enjoying the damn ball!" He complained, sending people to snap from their trances and begin the chatter and mingling again. Ridge, Lalna, and Rythian exchanged looks.

"Was that-" Lalna started.

"Couldn't have been-" Rythian crossed his arms, shaking his head vigorously.

"Oh, but it could have… maybe he stole your things…" Ridge smirked.

The two boys stared at their father in disbelief.

"What?! I don't have any dresses! Why- why would I?" Lalna huffed, his eyes shifting around as he stuffed his face nervously. Rythian shook his head.

"I can assure you, I do not cross dress…" Rythian shot out blatantly.

**X**

It was stupid to think it hadn't been Sjin. Who else would wear a dress all the time? It was because he had already been wearing one since his father died. Ridge had gave him his first dress, entirely made of rags.

"_What is this?"_ _The seven year old had asked, his big blue eyes scanning the man for an answer._

_Ridge had only smiled deviously to the boy. "It's… your clothing." He bent over, so that his face was only inches away from the confused and scared boy's. "Welcome to the Ridgedog Estate. Let me show you to your room."_

Ridge made a mental note to see Sjin later that day, and have a nice long talk about the night before.

**X**

From the balcony where King Nilesy_ had watched the ball, Nilesy_ once again sat, assistant by his side as he looked over the ballroom. He had made Sips_ take ballroom dancing lessons shortly after their conversation that morning.

Sips_ had come clean- he ran off around the palace with a man and had a fucking fantastic time, and while Nilesy_ was happy for him, he was aggregated as well. When Nilesy_ had asked who the man was, Sips_ had not answered. What could he have said? Woah-man?

When the King realized Sips_ had not known the lad's name, he went ballistic. "That's one thing you could have done for us! How are we supposed to find her?!"

For a while Sips_ could not answer, but anybody could tell he was thinking hard. He wanted to see the man again just as much as his father.

Now, as his dance instructor told him to move in a certain sequence, he knew.

He knew how to see him again.

"Uh," Sips_ pulled away from the woman, giving a slight smile. "I have to go for a minute." Quickly, Sips_ began to run towards his father's balcony. Nilesy_ was too in deep conversation with Zoeya to notice this at the time.

"I just don't understand- how could he not get his name?" Nilesy_ said, face in his hands. Zoeya patted him on the shoulders sympathetically.

"Don't worry! Poor guy was probably nervous! He was with the Prince, you know…"

"Guys! Guys!" Sips_ ran in, holding a glass object. But, running with a fragile object was a horrible thing to do, especially with the floors being recently waxed. Sips_ lost his footing for a moment, and the glass slipper went flying. Sips_ gasped for a moment, and it seemed that time had slowed to give just one chance.

"Oh! I've got it!" Zoeya cried, doing a small jump before actually leaping off the ground. Her arms outstretched the glass slipper fell in her arms, not a mark on them even after she hit the floor.

Sips_ began to laugh. "Oh-oh my God! That was amazing!" He walked over, taking the slipper from the girl's hands and cradling it carefully. Nilesy_ stared in wonder.

"How is a fucking slipper going to help us?" He asked, slightly over the edge with Sips_'s shenanigans.

"You don't understand! It's his glass slipper!" Sips_ beamed.

"Ooh! Ohh! Sire, I know how we can find the guy!" Zoeya clapped, jumping back over to Nilesy_'s side. Nilesy_ immediately lit up.

"Really? How, Zoeya! Quickly!" Nilesy_ was then at the edge of his seat, staring intently at Zoeya.

"How about we just go to everybody and see if they fit the shoe?"

Nilesy_ facepalmed. "That would take ages!" Zoeya frowned, and leaned down next to the King.

"Sire, if we find this person, Sips_ will be happy!"

"I can hear you, you know!" Sips_ muttered, crossing his arms.

Ignoring his son, Nilesy_ reconsidered this idea. Though it would take long, what if it was all worth it? Biting his lip, Nilesy_ sighed and nodded. Zoeya jumped up and squealed.

"Yay! You're going to find him, Sips_!"

And for the first time in a while, Nilesy_ saw his son beam with joy.

**X**

King Nilesy_ sent out Zoeya, along with one guard and the announcer. It would be a lot of ground to cover, but thank God it wasn't a damn city, or else it might have been a year before Sips_ could see his special man again.

The first few houses were pretty normal, and Zoey gave sorrowful faces to the men who said 'why would I wear a dress?' 'I'm not gay!' but still had disappointed looks that they would not be living the luxurious live of the royals.

"Maybe we should just give up…" The guard yawned. The sun had been beginning to fall, and they had covered almost all the houses except at least five more.

Zoeya shook her head. "No! I know he's out there somewhere! C'mon, guys! Sips_ needs this!"

The two sighed, mumbling things like "Yeah, fine, okay."

"Now, where to next?" Zoeya glanced around the town. They were lucky it wasn't too busy in the night. She followed a dirt trail up a hill and into the distance. A giant house lay there, what everybody knew as the Ridgedog Estate. Zoeya was about to tear her glance onto something else, but she had a good feeling about the shady house for some reason. She outstretched her arm, and pointed towards the said house.

"That one!"


	23. Sjinderella - Part 12

**Sips Co. Fairytale**

**Chapter 21**

**Sjinderella - Part 12**

**By: MPNFF/CAM**

During that evening's dinner, Ridgedog took a glance outside the large window in the dining room, then had to take a double take. A large carriage was being hauled up their drive, the gold reins and the extreme uniforms giving it away as one of the royal transportations. At first the millionaire asked himself 'why would they be arriving here? And at such a late hour in the day?'

But then he remembered the event last night.

He realized that King Nilesy_ was not one to give up on certain things, especially if it had to do with something so extreme, like what had happened at the ball.

They were looking for Sjin.

But Ridgedog wasn't going to let that happen.

He knew for a fact Sjin was tidying in the kitchen, and he had to figure out how to make the man shut up when the royal messengers arrived. Thinking as fast as his mind would let him, he stood from his seat, making his sons look up in questioning. They began to talk, but Ridge hushed them.

"Act natural, the royals are about to arrive. Thank Christ it's a large drive- I'm going to hide Sjin. You do whatever they tell you to. Got it?"

The two boys looked to each other and beamed. This could be their chance to get everything they ever wanted. Vigorously they nodded, and Ridge picked out a key from his breast pocket of his black coat.

"This is the key to Sjin's room. I will lock him in there."

"Yes, father! Just go! They're coming up fast!" Lalna exclaimed, flailing his arms in a panic. Rythian only raised his eyebrows at the other.

"A Prince does not flail." Rythian noted simply, grabbing his tea and taking a long sip. How the two were ever going to get Prince Sips_.

Ridge moved quickly- watching as the servant moved up the stairs, humming away like everything was fine. He made the millionaire sick. Small key in hand, Ridge silently followed the servant up to his room, where he closed the door. He waited for a while, waited for Sjin to settle in.

**X**

Sjin walked into his attic room, not even thinking about complaining once again about the size or the fact he was using used furniture from small village sales around town. The euphoria of the night before was still shimmering around him, and everybody could notice it. He didn't care though. So what if Ridge, Lalna, or Rythian gave him laundry to wash. He could dry them by dancing around with them, picturing Sips_ in the clothes. So what if they gave him dirty looks if he was as happy as a clam? Their opinions didn't matter to him, anyways! Sjin sighed contently, moving over to his vanity and settling down in the chair. Xephos and Honeydew sat on the edge, laughing and talking. Everything was perfectly fine in that one moment.

Yeah, that all ended when Sjin heard the click of the lock on his door.

Sjin's head shot to the door, and he stood, quickly stepping towards it. He jiggled the doorknob- no use in that. Honeydew and Xephos now watched the servant with confused eyes.

"Uh, Ridge? I-I'm not done today's chores yet! Why did you lock me in?"

On the other side of the door, Sjin swore he could hear the sickening chuckle of the demi-god. Sjin frowned. Why was this happening? What was going on, on the other side of the door?!

"This- this isn't funny…" Sjin muttered, shaking and tugging on the doorknob again, slight panic raising through him. It was bad enough that whenever Ridge talked to him he got chills, but know he was locking him in? Sjin pressed the side of his face to the door, hearing Ridge's shoes clack against the recently scrubbed stairs. Then, the front doors suddenly clicked open.

"Hello, how do you do! I am here on behalf of Your Royal Majesty, Prince Sips_!" A cheery female voice announced.

And suddenly Sjin put the pieces together.

They were looking for him, Sjin that was.

And right before they arrived, Ridge had locked him in his attic…

Ridge knew.

Without Sjin's knowledge, his breathing had become harsh and fast. He covered his mouth, and looked down to the floor, where Honeydew and Xephos tugged on the end of his dress, trying to get his attention. Sjin snapped out of his state of panic- kneeling down.

"Sjin, buddy! What's up?" Honeydew asked.

"Ridge locked me in; Palace announcers here on behalf of Sips_!" Sjin squeaked, holding onto his knees for balance support. While Xephos looked shocked, Honeydew had his teeth gritted and his fists bunched.

"That devious bastard!" He exclaimed.

"Help me…" He whimpered. Xephos nodded.

"Right. Honeydew? Come on. Let's do this."

**X**

The two mice had snuck out of the hole in the wall, and were prodding down the staircase. The vision of Lalna sitting in a chair came into view, as well as Rythian and Ridge standing behind him. Zoeya had given Lalna the shoe, and was watching carefully.

"Ugh! And now they're trying on Sjin's shoe! They weren't even wearing a goddamn dress!" Honeydew exclaimed.

"But, look. They're not our first problem to get past…" Xephos pointed, and Honeydew followed the invisible track to notice Lomadia, sitting beside her master's feet and licking her chomps.

"I swear, every time that damn cat looks at me she smiles and snickers…" Xephos shivered, hugging himself. Honeydew gasped softly, and pointed to Ridgedog.

"Damn bastard! He's got the key poking out of his pocket!" Sure enough, in Ridgedog's pocket there seemed to be something protruding from it. It was small and gold, but Honeydew had seen it perfectly.

Xephos praised his friend by patting him on the shoulder. "Good eye!"

"Thanks."

"Now, we just need a way to get past Lomadia. Shall we do the ol' distraction plan?"

"There's too many people around for that."

"Oh… well, maybe we-"

"Look, why don't we just wing it for once? If we get spotted by Lomadia, well… just go with it." Honeydew shrugged.

Xephos wasn't exactly the kind of person to 'just go with it.' He needed a plan, really. But… might as well take some chances, right? He sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

"Right- let's go."

**X**

The bold and brave Honeydew was the first to step out. He looped around each piece of furniture that was closest, keeping an eye on the people and the cat, making sure they were oblivious to his presence. He thanked Christ there were tables and stands placed around the foyer to hide around and climb up, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get the key. Behind him, Xephos watched with beady blue eyes, keeping lookout for his pal. Honeydew moved from object to object, being very sneaky.

Lalna, shoe in hand, bit his lip. He tried to figure out in his head how small Sjin's feet were, and wished he could make some machine right then and there to make his feet the exact same size. Holding his breath, Lalna slipped on the shoe. But… he couldn't get his heel in. His feet looked to be two sizes bigger, and from behind him Rythian had figured this out as well, and began to stifle a laugh. Lalna began to panic, and muttered out excuses as he tried to shove the remaining parts of his feet inside the slipper.

Zoeya shook her head. She had decided to give the young man a chance, but knew that the man that hung out with Sips_ that night was a brunette. She could have a better chance with his brother.

Xephos snickered at Lalna, then turned back to Honeydew, who seemed to be faster than he expected. Honeydew was now up on the table closest to Ridge, and was hiding behind a vase of roses. The key was in plain sight, and if Honeydew was sneaky enough he could just use the vase as a stand to support him and reach out…

Suddenly he lost his balance, and the table cloth moved under him. He ran the opposite way, trying to remain on the table. The vases swayed as Honeydew moved behind one to keep his cover, and Ridge bit his lip, noticing his feline was causing issues.

"Lomadia!" He hissed. The blonde cat mewed innocently, removing her vicious claws from the table cloth and behaving. Honeydew relaxed, letting his held breath out. That was close. Now, to get that key…

Zoeya clapped her hands, starling the blonde who was still sweating out excuses and trying to fit the shoe.

"Okay- obviously you're not him. Uh… sorry." Zoeya took the shoe off the man's foot, then gestured for Rythian to take a seat. Rythian took a polite bow, before shoving Lalna. He yelped, then stood immediately, backing up beside Ridgedog, who did not give him any sympathy whatsoever.

Xephos gestured for Honeydew to hurry up. He didn't mean to push any pressure on him, it was just the fact that Rythian was up, and when he didn't fit it, they would leave disappointed. Sjin would never get his chance.

Ridgedog wasn't making it any easier for them, either. He had now picked up Lomadia, but at least she was facing the opposite way. He stroked her soft fur absentmindedly, watching as Rythian composed himself.

Holding his breath, Honeydew reached in, swooping and just missing the key. Damn. One more time, timing out when Lomadia would glance at him and when she wouldn't, Honeydew flat- out dived for the pocket, and soon it got very dark. He had caught hold of the key's cold brass surface. Only thing now is to find a way to escape.

Honeydew poked his head out of the pocket, key still in his pudgy hands. He looked towards the table, his best bet would be to somehow lunge himself towards there. He looked at the key, then to the pocket. He got an idea.

Using the end of the key to hang on the edge of the pocket, Honeydew grasped the other end. He swung from side to side, then swung his hardest, managing to unlatch the key from the pocket. He flew for a moment, then hit the table with a soft bump. The sound was barely noticeable though, and Ridge seemed slightly oblivious. Lomadia noticed though. She watched with slit eyes as Honeydew slid down the table leg and ran behind objects.

Lomadia meowed softly, and Ridgedog dropped her absentmindedly to the floor as he watched Rythian slip on the shoe, the shoe being an inch bigger than he expected.

Lomadia pranced silently after Honeydew, walking past Zoeya and the guard carefully. Her eyes were locked on the mouse, who held the key high and waved over at his friend. The friend, however, looked extremely terrified, and he pointed a shaky finger towards Lomadia. Honeydew gulped, looked behind him, and squealed. Lomadia hissed, but nobody seemed to notice. The guard was trying not to laugh at Rythian, who was attempting to walk in the shoe. Honeydew began to run at a fast pace, but Lomadia pranced directly behind him, inches away from his tail. She snapped at it, but missed. Honeydew ran up the bottom of the railing, throwing the key to Xephos, who barely caught it. Together the two carried it up the steps and to the attic, moving extremely fast. Lomadia was about to prance up the steps, when Ridge called her back. Growling and hissing, Lomadia had no choice but to return to him.

**X**

"Sjin! We have the key!" Xephos announced, sliding it under the door with Honeydew's assistance. Sjin, who had been silently bawling the whole time and did not think to yell or scream, smiled and clutched the key quickly. He opened the door with ease, then remembered something. It would be even more proof if he brought down the slipper. Quickly he dug through his dresser drawer, finding the glass slipper which had been bundled up with clothes. He picked it out carefully, then moved to run down the stairs. Zoeya had thrown on her coat, nodding to the two before the guard opened the door for her. Sjin hid the slipper behind his back.

"Hey! Wait! You haven't tried me!" Sjin called helplessly. Zoeya stopped, eyes widening. She turned to face the voice, smiling and jumping and clapping her hands.

"Oh! Yay! There's still hope!"

"Wait! I can assure you he's not-" Ridge began, but Zoeya put a hand up to shush him.

"Let's not waist time, oh bearded one!" She snorted, then gestured to the chair. Sjin quickly stepped down the stairs, pulling the slipper out from behind his back.

"I think this completes the set?" Sjin asked, showing the woman the slipper.

Zoeya gasped. "Oh my gosh! You are him, aren't you?!"

"Just to prove- may I see the slipper you have, please?"

Zoeya handed him the slipper, squealing in delight as she watched him slip on the slipper with the greatest of ease. She jumped and clapped again.

"Oh! C'mon! You're coming with us! Say goodbye to your servant life!" Zoeya said, grabbing Sjin by the arm and leading him out.

Three men stood there, bewildered by what had just happened. But, we don't have to worry about them any longer.

**X**

In the distance, the servant stepped into the grand throne room, where a sulky Prince lounged in his throne. The Prince snapped his head up at the newcomer, his eyes streaking over the servant. He had a beard and he was a servant… but the Prince wasn't stupid, he knew who it was in a heartbeat.

And so he ran towards the servant, locking him in a hug.

"Sjin," the servant whispered in the man's ear.

"My name is Sjin."

* * *

**A/N And so, there you have it. Now, YOU NEED TO READ THIS RIGHT NOW IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. journal/Hiatus-Announcement-396626277 PLEASE READ IT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.**

**thank you :3**


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